Author and wife claimed neighbours were drug dealing and neglecting children in hate campaign

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A disabled author and his wife have been found guilty of carrying out a hate campaign against their neighbours - including making malicious claims of child abuse and drug dealing.David and Jacqueline Aston targeted their neighbours by recording them "almost on a daily basis" and making false reports to the police and local authority over a three year period.Jacqueline Aston, 58, reported one horrified neighbour to the General Teaching Council for Scotland in a bid to wreck her teaching career claiming she was neglecting her children.The staff nurse also claimed the woman's partner was running a business from his home and accused him of assaulting her at a plush estate in North Berwick, East Lothian.The neighbours said they were left "scared and worried" after discovering David Aston, 55, had written a book called A Stroke of Fortune that featured a character who develops superpowers following a stroke.The character then uses his superpowers to wreak revenge on the local community.Aston, a former chartered accountant, penned the novel after suffering serious injuries including brain trauma and a massive stroke following a motorway car crash 10 years ago.The victims of the couple described their three year ordeal as "intimidating", "utterly appalling" and "a living hell" as well as seriously affecting their health.The Astons denied all the allegations made against them and have stood trial over 21 days in a hearing spanning 11 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.High school teacher Catriona Henderson and her partner Stuart McMorris moved into the estate with their children in 2018 and first fell out with the Astons over the positioning of bins.Ms Henderson, 45, told the trial Jacqueline Aston had subsequently contacted the