Bail conditions imposed - 16th March 2026
(f) not to use the social media platform 'X' previously known as Twitter
(g) not to make reference to any MP, MSP or Lord Advocate in any social media
After a sleepless weekend in police custody and facing the SNP GESTAPO's threat of remand to Saughton (HMP Edinburgh), I accepted (temporarily) the draconian bail conditions offered.
Saturday, 14th March, began with my tweet to the SNP Conference with hashtag #SNP26
Soon 2 plain clothes detectives from Police Scotland were at my flat door insisting on arresting me. They hurried me into locking the flat up and they drove me to Kittybrewster Police Custody Centre after reading another trumped-up charge from their smartphone. On what pretext I can't remember - was it the "John Swinney's Gestapo women of Scotland - the Taliban's useful idiots" video
which had set them off - or was it the
"BASTARD JOHN SWINNEY😡
Afghan girls, same age as Dunblane victims, are sold into marriage under Pakistan's Taliban rule as the SNP GESTAPO arrests and prosecutes me for holding the Pakis to account"
tweets of the 12th March? Who knows?
I had my finger prints taken by a fragrant Greek woman police officer, which was nice. I asked for a book to read and was offered a paperback copy of "Bravo Two Zero" by Andy McNab. Reading about very brave men in a much more dangerous situation than police custody was fortifying to my own courage.
Later in the day, a prisoner transport van transported me and my borrowed copy of "Bravo Two Zero" from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. (Annoyingly the prisoner cell light was on a timer and it kept switching itself off and I had to repeatedly remind the van staff to put the cell light back on).
It was dark by the time we arrived at St Leonards Police Station where the cells are not as "luxurious" (sarcasm) as Kittybrewster - no intercom, no basin with trickle of water to wet your hands and no way to flush your own toilet - just a push button "help" light. The dim lighting made reading my paperback very difficult.
There I was imprisoned in spartan conditions through Saturday, all day Sunday until a bigger van took all the St Leonards prisoners to Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday morning. I asked for and was granted a court custody cell to myself which is less stressful for me.
I had an interview with a mental health nurse where I declared myself to her to be "Fit for court".
Late in the afternoon I was handed a bundle of legal papers, told I couldn't keep them, but I could read them now.
Just from memory they were seeking an order to remand me to HMP Edinburgh, a letter offering legal advice for those facing a "solemn" procedure (with jury and longer prison sentences) and a letter saying that I didn't have to attend the hearing in April as per my signed undertaking to the police of 27th February.
So then I was taken upstairs to the court room where I was asked if I was Alastair Dow?
I told the court that I was Alastair Peter Dow, Bachelor of Science with Honours, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh.
The Sheriff wasn't interested in my supplementary details and said they didn't normally ask for a plea at this stage (of a solemn procedure presumably) but the matter of bail was addressed at this stage.
I suggested simply being ordained to appear (no additional bail conditions beyond the routine).
The fiscal depute said, "in this case" (a politically-motivated witch-hunt) he was prepared to offer bail with the additional bail conditions to get off X etc (see above).
I told the court "Those bail conditions are acceptable to the defence".
With that the Sheriff granted bail with those conditions and ended the hearing.
Short and sweet because that was the quickest and surest way out of the hell of custody. The legal argy-bargy about bail conditions could wait for another day.
The court staff reclaimed the bundle of legal papers and I was soon a free man.
I urgently bought some mouthwash from a shop on Princes Street because my dental health needed it by then and mouthwash is refused in police or court custody.
Then the bus back to Aberdeen for around 10pm.
I encountered a house-breaker snooping around the hallway of our block of flats, presumably sensing an opportunity with my empty flat over the weekend but when I opened my flat door he went on his way without a word exchanged between us.
That was me safe and sound again after another rough long weekend for a political prisoner in John Swinney's SNP GESTAPO police state.
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