An MSP was subjected to a barrage of insults and racially abused by her pensioner neighbour at a polling station on the day of the independence referendum.

Our sister newspaper The Gazette reports Mary Fee MSP said she was “verbally abused” by her 67-year-old neighbour Alexander McEwan at the voting in Renfrew.

The West of Scotland Labour representative said that she was standing in front of the polling station at the Glynhill Hotel in the burgh town’s Paisley Road on September 18 last year.

She told Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday she was checking her emails on the evening Scotland voted against independence when McEwan, who lives in the house next door to her, emerged from the building.

She explained: “I think it was because it was a polling station he thought I was on my own.

“He launched into a fairly lengthy verbal attack on me.

“He walked directly out of the polling station and directly towards me.

“The first words he said to me where ‘hello glum-face’ and ‘I’m talking to you glum-face’.”

She said she had noticed McEwan arriving at the polling station and watched him walking inside but did not speak to him.

And she said he began insulting her when he left, shouting and swearing at her and yelling: “You’re nothing but a f****** gypo.”

The clash was witnessed by SNP Councillor Cathy McEwan, who is not related to Alexander McEwan, and also gave evidence during the trial.

The Renfrewshire councillor, who represents Renfrew South and Paisley’s Gallowhill area, told the court she saw McEwan give “a parting shot” of “you’re nothing but a f****** gypsy” to Fee.

Fee said that, after the confrontation, Cllr McEwan came to see if she was okay.

She explained: “I was aware Councillor McEwan was watching what was taking place.

“A police constable exited the polling station and stood at the door of the Glynhill Hotel as I was talking to Councillor McEwan — she asked if I was okay and what that was all about.

“I said I didn’t want to do anything that would exacerbate an already difficult situation.

“I was concerned that if I reported Mr McEwan to the police I would make the situation worse and, as he is my neighbour, it is a very difficult situation I was in.”

The following day Fee did report the incident to police after another outburst of racial abuse by McEwan.

The court heard Fee’s son Michael was fixing a car in the driveway of her home in Renfrew when McEwan and his wife pulled up in their car.

Fee’s son walked over to McEwan and said: “Don’t you ever speak to my mum like that again.”

Michael exchanged words with McEwan and, during the confrontation, picked up a metal bar to protect himself before McEwan branded him “a fenian b******” and a “gypsy b******.”

McEwan denied two charges of racially aggravated threatening or abusive behaviour by shouting, swearing and making racist remarks.

Giving evidence in his own defence McEwan, a retired clerk of works who worked for Glasgow City Council, said the polling station abuse did not happen and that he was the victim the following day.

He said: “I certainly did not make those remarks.

“Two weeks previous to that I was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack.

“I am a man of 67, I was upset, scared, alarmed and frightened.

“I’m the one standing here — it should be that other man that walked out of here.”

However, Sheriff Tom McCartney convicted him of both charges, accepting they were racially aggravated.

After hearing that McEwan was a first offender who was trying to sell his house so he could move away from the Fees, Sheriff McCartney fined him.

He was told to hand over £500 for calling Fee a “f****** gypo” and £250 for branding her son “a fenian b******” and a “gypsy b******.”