Man stood over teenage girl in NorthLink pod lounge ‘gesturing he wanted to shoot her’

A woman awoke in the middle of the night to find a man standing over her teenage daughter in a NorthLink pod lounge gesturing that he wanted to shoot her, it has been claimed.

Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart raised the shocking incident in a letter to transport secretary Fiona Hyslop highlighting safety concerns.

Ms Wishart’s letter referenced further incidents, including from last September when a woman reported feeling so unsafe due to the behaviour of drunken men that she would never use pods again.

The MSP also highlighted comments raised in last month’s Shetland external transport forum, when Robina Barton said she felt unsafe in the pods and questioned why shared cabins were not allowed while strangers were side-by-side in the lounges.

At the time, NorthLink managing director Stuart Garrett responded by saying shared cabins had been removed for general safety reasons.

However, Ms Wishart said she had yet to receive a “clear explanation” of what those safety reasons were - despite extensive engagement with NorthLink, Transport Scotland and Ms Hyslop.

She said other women had also reported having felt unsafe in the pod areas - and questioned why these were deemed to be safer than shared cabins.

“Women are experiencing frightening incidents in the pod rooms,” Ms Wishart wrote in the letter.

“In an age of increasing misogyny and aggression towards women the Scottish government cannot ignore what it is being told about women’s safety.”

Ms Wishart said the lack of shared cabins also resulted in a lack of accommodation availability as it meant single traveller sometimes booked entire cabin for themselves.

“A shared cabin is not an option that everyone would take up but it is a policy that was in place for decades and helped to reduce the cost of passage for many,” she said.

“The situation is untenable for my constituents who rely on the lifeline service and it must be addressed.”

Other written questions asked whether the next NorthLink contract may include rolling booking system to avoid the current “cliff edge” situation.

Responses said work on the new contract was under way, nut there was no plan to introduce shared cabins but indicated the rolling booking system will be considered ahead of the next contract bid.

Ms Wishart said: “There is certainly a feeling of frustration in the isles that transport to and from the islands is no longer seen by the Scottish government as a lifeline service as the request of islanders seem to be repeatedly ignored.

“The view from the isles is clear – shared cabins should be an option for passengers.

“This is not an option that everyone would take up but it is a policy that was in place for many years and helped to reduce the cost of passage for many.

“I dispute the transport secretary’s use of the phrase ‘introduce shared cabins’ as this is a policy that was firmly established, is still requested and should be reintroduced.

“I have long called for a system that can ensure we end the ‘cliff edge’ booking system currently in place, such as a new rolling system.

“Passengers are inconvenienced by not being able to book a return trip over Christmas, the current last possible date to book being 31st December 2025.”

Stuart Garrett, managing director of Serco NorthLink Ferries said: “The safety of both our passengers and personnel is our absolute priority.

“The pod lounges are monitored by CCTV and all of our overnight passenger sailings have dedicated security personnel. 

“We would encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences disruptive or antisocial behaviour to bring it to our immediate attention.

“Furthermore, I would use this opportunity to remind customers that we do not tolerate disruptive behaviour and passenger conduct of this type is simply not acceptable.

“Passengers found to be behaving inappropriately will be dealt with accordingly and the necessary action to ensure the ongoing safety of our passengers will be taken. 

“We always investigate reports of disruptive behaviour fully, and if they are upheld, we will not hesitate to ban the offending passengers from future travel.”