A Dumbarton couple have been left traumatised and fearing for their lives after 300 vigilantes targeted their home when false information from paedophile hunters circulated on social media.
The pair are now hiding in a safe house after David McLean, 37, was wrongfully exposed as a sex offender by hunt group Exposed Britain during a Facebook post made public in 2018.
In February this year, the post resurfaced and it sparked a crowd of angry locals gathering and rioting outside their home.
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The terrifying incident was then streamed live on TikTok, causing hundreds more to join the angry mob before the vicious disturbance broke out, reports the Daily Record.
David and his partner Shona, 35, hid inside their home while the mob launched fireworks and bricks at their windows. The incident spiralled into chaos after locals then decided to attack riot cops and smashed up patrol vehicles.
Shona told the Record she thought she and David would be killed during the frightening ordeal.
She said: "We were terrified, absolutely terrified. People were outside chanting 'dirty beast' and the crowd just got bigger, bigger and bigger.
"The police tried to get us out at the start, but the crowd gathered so quickly it wasn't safe to move us.
"We spent two hours inside listening to all of that. Fireworks and boulders were being thrown at the house. Cars were being kicked and smashed.
"I didn't know if we were going to be killed. It was horrific."
Police eventually managed to remove Shona and David from the property after cutting down a fence in their back garden.
Riot cops then formed a barricade to protect the pair from missiles launched at them by the crowd as they ran to safety. The couple have since been moved to an undisclosed location, with their home in Dumbarton currently being boarded up.
Shona said she and her husband live every day petrified they will be found and targeted again.
She continued: "Before this happened we were planning our wedding, but since this started I've been thinking more about planning our funerals."
Police reports confirm David has never been charged with any sexual offence and that he is not on the sex offenders register.
Shona says the horrific incident could have been avoided if someone from the group had checked the information was accurate.
She added: "If someone had phoned the police and asked if David was on the sex offenders register, they would have known the information was inaccurate.
"Anyone can write something on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it's true."
Ten people were arrested and charged with mobbing and rioting following the attack on David and Shona's home.
Police Scotland confirmed the incident was caused by inaccurate information circulating online.
Area Commander Chief Inspector Ryan McMurdo described the scenes at the riot as "unacceptable".
He said: “What happened in Graham Road in Dumbarton is totally unacceptable and I understand the fear and alarm it will have caused.
“Due to the incident, several police vehicles were out of service, directly impacting local policing.
“As a police officer, I will always uphold the rights of those who wish to engage in a peaceful protest. However, when that behaviour descends into criminality, resulting in the scenes we witnessed last night, then I will act and ensure those responsible will face the consequences of their actions.”
The incident has also prompted Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie to call on social media giants to take action on those who share malicious information online.
She said: “The safety of residents and police officers is of the utmost importance. When large-scale vigilante incidents like this happen, it diverts police away from emergencies, which should be the last thing anyone wants to happen.
“There is no excuse for false information being circulated online. I am hopeful that the Online Safety Bill which is currently going through the House of Commons will help bring an end to this and give more responsibility to social media firms to take action against those who post malicious information online.”
A worrying trend of live streaming protests online has been steadily rising across Scotland, with police sometimes forced to spend hours on end controlling crowds.
TikTok and Facebook both declined to comment.
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