By Hamish Mackay
The Scottish Sun has branded a man “the sickest dad in Scotland”
after he tried to get £30,000 for the tragic story of his
three-year-old son who spent up to six weeks in a flat with the body of
his dead mother.
Convicted criminal Jason Nolan, 34, hoped to cash in on the
terrifying ordeal of his son Michael, who was trapped alone in his
fifth-floor home in Leith with the body of his mother, Anne- Marie
McGarrity, 33.
Nolan demanded £30,000 from Scottish Sun reporter
Annabelle Steggles in an Edinburgh pub – claiming £20,000 would be put
in a trust for Michael and £10,000 would be spent on holidays.
Nolan
said: “The money’s for Michael, but I deserve it too for what I’ve been
put through.” He toldSteggles: “I’ve had offers from plenty of other
papers, but I’ll go with you if you can top them.”
But The Scottish Sun reported: “We refused to pay shameless Nolan a single penny.”
Police
revealed this week that the toddler had spent up to six weeks with his
mother’s body, not two as it was first thought. He survived by eating
crisps, fruit, cheese and yoghurts, but was unable to raise the alarm
because he could not reach the latch on the front door.
Social
workers have yet to decide who will care for Michael when he leaves
hospital. Nolan, who has served several jail terms for housebreaking,
theft and assaults, and has a young daughter by his current girlfriend,
claims he will fight Anne-Marie’s family to get custody of Michael.
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