Swingers sprayed stranger in face with bear repellent

A "swinging" couple, Stephen Barclay and Leanne Reid, appeared in court on assault charges after a stranger who spent the weekend with them had bear repellent sprayed in his face. Barclay, 36, and his lover Reid, 31, contacted Owen Greenan online and invited him to spend the weekend at their secluded cottage. He arrived on a Friday evening and a court heard the drug-fuelled weekend had "gone well" until the early hours of Sunday morning, when he refused to have his photograph taken on a mobile phone. Barclay then sprayed him with Sabre Wild Max Bear Attack and Mr Green fled the house in the village of Glespin, Lanarkshire, leaving his belongings behind.

A lorry driver found him running down the road and police were called to cottage. Barclay and Reid were later arrested and charged with a string of offences. Lanark Sheriff Court heard that the couple admitted assaulting Mr Greenan on March 27 last year. Gary Dow, prosecuting, said the visitor was woken by Reid on a couch at the cottage at 4am and invited into the couple’s bedroom. When Mr Greenan sat down, Barclay, who was in a hot tub drinking beer, held out his mobile phone and said: “Smile for the camera."



Mr Dow added: "He went to get up and Leanne Reid said '------- smile'. She also had said that she was going to get a knife to stab him. Mr Barclay then said to the complainer, 'Do you think you can come here all weekend, shag my wife, and nothing will happen?'." Barclay told his girlfriend to give him the repellent, which he said he bought in Canada, before spraying it on his victim. Mr Greenan was later treated at Wishaw General Hospital.

Neil McShane, representing Barclay, told the court his client had “very little sleep from Friday to Sunday” and the incident happened after those involved had been taking ketamine. Sheriff Nikola Stewart, who said she was "intrigued" by the case, deferred sentence until next month. Barclay and Reid admitted assaulting Mr Greenan by threatening to stab him and discharging the bear repellent in his face. Barclay also admitted unlawful possession of cannabis worth up to £7,650. Reid's not guilty plea to a charge that she had wasted police time by alleging Mr Greenan had raped her was accepted by prosecutors.