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Findlay felt capable of killing attacker but says 'I'm not a scrapper'

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has insisted he is "not a scrapper" after writing that he felt capable of killing a man who attacked him. The former investigative journalist was working for the Sun newspaper in 2015 when a man, disguised as a postman, knocked on his door and threw corrosive liquid in his face. In the early pages of his book, Findlay describes how he eventually saw that the man had been carrying a serrated knife. He said this made him want to drag the man from a police van and "rip him to pieces". Speaking to the BBC's Scotcast, Findlay – now in his 50s - said his account was "completely accurate" and that he did not believe anyone else would have behaved any differently. "I've got a punch bag in the garage but I'm not a scrapper," he said, adding that his actions at the time were about self preservation. The written account tells how Findlay felt "joyful" when he "hammered" his fist so hard into his attacker's face that his set of dentures flew from his mouth and broke in two. Challenged on his word choice, he told the podcast: "The fury that someone would turn up at a family home… and conduct an attack which could have been life changing and could hav

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Mar 26, 2026·BBCT2 · Outlet report
Findlay felt capable of killing attacker but says 'I'm not a scrapper'

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has insisted he is "not a scrapper" after writing that he felt capable of killing a man who attacked him. The former investigative journalist was working for the Sun newspaper in 2015 when a…

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Mar 26, 2026·BBCT2 · Outlet reportLATEST
Findlay felt capable of killing attacker but says 'I'm not a scrapper'

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has insisted he is "not a scrapper" after writing that he felt capable of killing a man who attacked him. The former investigative journalist was working for the Sun…

Read original at BBC →

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What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.

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T2 · Outlet reportBBCMar 26, 2026

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has insisted he is "not a scrapper" after writing that he felt capable of killing a man who attacked him. The former investigative journalist was working for the Sun newspaper in 2015 when a…

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