Derek Mackay had contacted the teenager 270 times, including inviting him to dinner and to a rugby matchA Scottish government minister who quit yesterday after sending unsolicited messages to a 16-year-old boy had backed a campaign to protect teenagers from online harassment. Derek Mackay, 42, said that interacting with schoolchildren was one of his favourite political perks. He wrote to head teachers saying that he was keen for as many students as possible to visit him at Holyrood. The disgraced former finance secretary was suspended from the Scottish National Party yesterday pending an investigation into his conduct. He had contacted the teenager 270 times, including inviting him to dinner and to a rugby match.

Source: The Times February 07, 2020 00:01 UTC