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A TWITTER troll who branded a teacher a paedophile for campaigning for gay rights has been ordered to pay her £40,000 damages.

Bigot David Shuttleton launched a vicious online hate campaign against education expert and government adviser Jaye Richards Hill over her support for equal marriage.

Jaye is a leading campaigner for marriage rights for gay couples, and staged a mock wedding to her partner Ruth last year during a demonstration at the Scottish Parliament.

Shuttleton attacked her reputation by sending her hate-filled tweets with the hashtags “child abuse” and “danger to children”, and has since posted many other abusive messages about her on Twitter.

He also tweeted Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon about Jaye, an adviser to Education Secretary Mike Russell.

(Image: Callum Moffat)

Jaye refused to bow to Shuttleton’s bullying and sued him for defamation of character.

He failed to lodge a proper defence, and the Court of Session have now told him to hand over £40,000, plus costs.

The case is being seen as an important victory for victims of trolling. A source close to Jaye said it was a first in Scotland.

The insider said: “This man deserves to be held to account.

“He wants to be seen as some great freedom of speech martyr. He keeps quoting psalms in the Bible but he is a hypocrite. People like that deserve to be exposed.

“He tweeted Jaye and hashtagged the words ‘child abuse’ and ‘danger to children’.

“He also tweeted Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, and that’s when Jaye decided to bring defamation proceedings.

“That could affect her in the future if someone Googles her for a job, or if another government advisory post comes up. This has really damaged her professional reputation.

“The problem is the out-and-out homophobia this man spouts.

“People do have fixed views on issues like gay marriage and the debate can get pretty robust. But it has to be on a respectful basis.

“When Shuttleton comes out with the things he does, it sets us back years and years.

“It needs to be challenged. If it’s not challenged, people get away with it, and this is how bigotry

and prejudice develops.”

Shuttleton, an antique dealer who trades under the name The Chairman of Bearsden, was defiant yesterday when the Record asked him about Jaye’s victory.

He claimed to have been unaware of the court’s ruling, insisted it was “just a technicality” and vowed to get it overturned. He said the case would go on for two years.

He added: “I put my defence in the wrong format so I’ve been working on it and it’s finished, but it’s just the case went through in the meantime.”

Shuttleton claimed that, in fact, he was a victim of internet trolling by Jaye, and said he had made multiple complaints to police.

Officers found no basis to investigate his allegations.

Shuttleton, a divorced father of two, described himself as “an innocent Scotsman” who had fallen victim to “the homosexual machine”.

He added: “It’s an absolute scandal that homosexuals have got such power in our community. It’s an absolutely scandalous abuse of our laws.”

Shuttleton, of Barrhead, near Glasgow, also launched another tirade of abuse against Jaye.

He said: “We are talking about one of the most notorious and infamous extremist homosexual activist fanatics in the whole of Scotland here.

“She is an infamous, notorious internet troll. She is one of the ringleaders of a gang of the vilest people imaginable ... homosexuals.

“This is a notorious, infamous homosexual who put through a claim for defamation against a Scotsman.

“The Scotsman is defending it. The Scotsman will win it.”

Jaye said she couldn’t comment on the court’s decision.