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THE chairman of UKIP in Scotland stood down yesterday after appearing in court on six sex charges.

Arthur Misty Thackeray is accused of making indecent phone calls. He left his post after the Sunday Mail asked about the case.

The charges partly relate to alleged calls where sexual activity could be heard in the background.

Another offence allegedly involved the use of a phone in a Paisley pub, Hamishes’ Hoose.

Thackeray, 55, faces six charges under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act.

He is charged under a section which says it is an offence “to send a sexual verbal communication to another person without their consent”.

Police detained Thackeray on the morning of Friday, January 22. It’s understood he spent the weekend in the cells.

Thackeray then appeared in private at Glasgow Sheriff Court on the Monday. He made no plea or declaration and was granted bail.

He is expected to return to court at a later date. Prosecutors have a year to bring him to trial.

Thackeray has been a prominent figure for UKIP in Scotland in recent years.

He stood as his party’s candidate for Glasgow East in last May’s general election, coming fourth with 1105 votes.

And he appeared in a BBC Scotland “leaders’ debate” 10 days before the poll, taking on Labour’s Kezia Dugdale, Stuart Hosie of the SNP, Tory Annabel Goldie, Jo Swinson of the Lib Dems and Green MSP Patrick Harvie.

He has now stepped down as UKIP Scotland chairman while the criminal case is resolved.

Asked about Thackeray yesterday, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: “I’ve heard about it. I’m not going to comment.” He then put the phone down.

A UKIP spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing case.

Thackeray wasn’t at his modern home in Springboig in Glasgow’s east end yesterday. A neighbour said he was often away and added: “When he’s here he doesn’t answer the door anyway.

“He doesn’t say much. He sometimes turns up with in a car with a woman.”

Thackeray used to run a group of security and investigation companies. And in 2014, he admitted UKIP had spied on their opponents in Scotland.

He said the party hired private detectives during the referendum campaign and used Polish immigrants to infiltrate anti-UKIP groups.

Groups thought to have been targeted include Radical Independence and Unite Against Fascism.

Opponents called the tactics sinister but Thackeray said they would “definitely” be used again in the general election campaign.

He also claimed to have gone under cover for the party himself. He said: “As someone who’s done a lot of covert work, it was nothing.”

Police said: “A 55-year-old man has been arrested and detained in connection with alleged offences under section seven of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.”

The Crown Office declined to comment.6