THE Scottish Tory candidate for the upcoming by-election being held after the death of Christina McKelvie is a "comedy hypnotist" known to swear at audiences, it has been revealed.
Richard Nelson was announced last week as the Scottish Tory candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
SNP councillor Katy Loudon and Scottish Labour's Davy Russell have also been announced as candidates for the by-election, set to take place on June 5.
On his council register of interest, Nelson declares himself to be a "hypnotist" and owner of entertainment company "rainBowen".
While many videos of his shows are no longer available on social media, the Daily Record told how Nelson was seen shouting and swearing at audiences in multiple instances.
At a show in Penicuik, Nelson hypnotised a group of men who jumped around like kangaroos when the music started and then took their seats when the music stopped.
In one video, he can be heard saying: "A**hole, sit doon. What are yous daeing? What you daeing, you d**k? I’m in the middle of a show, here. A***holes. You and all."
When the routine started again, Nelson took aim at the men, saying: "You, d**k heid, sit on your seat. What are youse pair of d**** daeing?"
He continued: “You, you idiot. An imbecile. That’s what you are, an imbecile. A f*****g d**k.
"An a***hole, that’s what you are. An a***hole. A***hole."
In a separate show in Carluke, Nelson managed to get members of the audience to believe they had passed wind.
He said: "When I count to the number three … you will imagine that the person next to you has done the most disgusting fart that you have ever smelt in your entire life. It will be stinking. It will be f*****g reeking."
"The next time you hear that [farting] noise you’ll imagine the person next to you has just not farted, they’ve actually followed through and s*** themself. The smell has got stronger," he added.
The plot of another show involved members of a hypnotised group resuscitating or giving first aid to an imaginary person
“Wait a minute, oh for f**k’s sake, her f*****g heid’s hinging aff,” Nelson said.
He pretended to put the imaginary person out of their misery and said: "Dead."
He added: “I’ll tell you what I will dae with it. I’ll scrape it off aff the ground.”
Nelson handed the imaginary body parts to the group and said: “You can have the heid.”
A Scottish Tory party source told the Daily Record that the Scottish Tories could lose their deposit in June's by-election.
It comes as party leader Russell Findlay is dealing with the recent defection of MSP Jamie Greene to the Scottish LibDems, as well as a swathe of councillors defecting to Reform UK.
An SNP source told the Daily Record: "Time will tell if this amateur hypnotist can help the Tories snap out of the trance Nigel Farage has set them under.
"His bizarre hobby aside, he's taken the meaning of nailing your colours to the mast to a new level – with social media awash with footage of his foul 'blue language'.
"Folk in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse deserve a serious MSP to represent them in Holyrood – the SNP is the only party offering that."
Scottish Labour MSP Paul O'Kane said: "It would take a talented hypnotist to make people forget the damage this morally bankrupt Tory party did to our country.
"Between the Tories selecting a hypnotist and the SNP failing to rule out the use of zero-hour contracts, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse haven’t been left with much of a choice in this by-election."
A Scottish Tory spokesman said: "We don’t have an issue with this in the context of a comedy show. Hopefully his powers of persuasion translate to politics."
