Paton leaves £2.7m to animals and children

Published on Thursday 22 April 2010 23:15

THE multi-million-pound fortune of controversial music mogul Tam Paton is to go to children's and animal charities.

• Tam Paton, then 36, is surrounded by members of the Bay City Rollers as he celebrates his engagement to art student Marcella Knaiflova in 1976. Picture: PA

The convicted sex offender, who oversaw the Bay City Rollers' rise to fame, died last year aged 70. He amassed a fortune of nearly 2.7 million, which will be held in a trust set up in his name.

His will stipulated the profits be shared between the Dogs Trust, WWF, Rachel House Children's Hospice in Kinross, cancer research charities and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

However, not all of the charities named in the will have yet decided whether to accept the proceeds.

Paton died last April after suffering a heart attack at his 1.1m mansion, Little Kellerstain, in Gogar, Edinburgh. He was found collapsed in his plunge pool.

He was convicted of sex offences against two boys aged 16 and 17 in 1982. He was also convicted of drug dealing in 2004 after 26,000 of cannabis was found at his home, but he was cleared on appeal.

In 2003, former Rollers guitarist Pat McGlynn claimed Paton had tried to rape him in an Australian hotel in 1977, but police said there was insufficient evidence to take the allegation further.

Paton, a reclusive figure, was subject to further allegations of drug dealing, which is said to have contributed to his fortune.

In the wake of his death, Crown Office officials moved to seize part of his estate under the Proceeds of Crime Act but later dropped the move.

Documents show Paton left a total of 2,693,683.67. He gave his executors permission to distribute funds to any charity of a similar nature to his five chosen groups, and also insisted his two rottweilers and two Staffordshire bull terriers should be found good homes.

As well as Little Kellerstain, his estate included four flats in the capital's Torphichen Place, worth a total of 496,000.

Paton also had stocks and shares in a private fund totalling 1,039,500, as well as a 27,450 Range Rover car with the private registration P1B TON.

Paton guided the Bay City Rollers to the top of the charts. They achieved worldwide success and became one of the biggest pop sensations of the 1970s.

The son of a Prestonpans potato merchant, Paton bought his mansion in Gogar for 29,000 in 1974 because of its proximity to the airport.

He was sacked as the group's manager in 1979, and later spent years involved in cash wrangles with members of the band over royalties.

Following Paton's death, Mr McGlynn said he hoped his former manager would "rot in hell", while singer Les McKeown described Paton as "a thug, a predator and a drug-dealing b******".

Last night, none of the charities included in Paton's will had been officially notified of their windfalls, while the executors declined to comment.

Children's Hospice Association Scotland, which runs Rachel House, said: "CHAS has not been notified of a legacy from Thomas Paton. We will take a view on this donation should we be notified."

A spokesman for the Scottish SPCA said: "We have not been notified by Mr Paton's estate that we are to benefit from his will, but we would accept any legacy offered. We have a duty to the animals in need of our help to ensure we are able to continue this vital work."

None of the former Rollers was available for comment.

AT A GLANCE

TAM Paton's estate, which has been valued at 2,693,683.67, will be held in trust, with any profits being divided between a selection of charities: the Dogs Trust; WWF; Rachel House Children's Hospice in Kinross, which is run by CHAS; charities that research cancer, and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

His estate includes his 1.1 million mansion in Gogar, Edinburgh, four flats in the capital's Torphichen Place, valued at 496,000; 1,039,500 in stocks and shares, and a 27,450 Range Rover.

Paton, pictured right, also gave his executors permission to distribute funds to any charity of a similar nature to those chosen.