BBC presenter calls priest "the biggest paedophile in town"

There is an extremely distasteful story in the Scottish Sun today which is reproduced below.

Tam Cowan describes himself as a comedian. It will certainly be a joke if he keeps his job in the BBC Scotland sports department after this!

STUNNED dinner guests told of their shock last night - after radio comic Tam Cowan allegedly branded an innocent priest a paedophile.

The radio and TV football pundit is said to have hurled the vile insult at Father Gerry Magee while speaking at a sportsman's function.

Cowan first joked that he hoped the churchman's team, Celtic, would get a hammering in the Old Firm match at Ibrox last month.

But when Fr Magee quipped he was actually the biggest RANGERS fan in town, Cowan, 40, replied: "You're the biggest paedophile in town."

The priest and at least two other diners then stormed out of the event, at the Masonic Lodge in Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

Cowan, who co-hosts BBC Radio Scotland's 'Off The Ball' show and writes a column for a tabloid newspaper, was later reported to police by the furious cleric.

Last night, Fr Magee, 54, of Saint Winin's Church in Kilwinning, said it would be inappropriate to discuss the sick remark.

But one source revealed: "Everyone was gobsmacked at what Tam Cowan had said. Nobody laughed. It wasn't even funny.

"Fr Magee was at the dinner as a guest of the local Masons, and when Tam Cowan got up to speak, he asked the local priest to identify himself.

"When Fr Magee stood up, Cowan said to him 'I hope your team gets f****d' - referring to Celtic. Fr Magee was shocked and tried to make light of it by saying 'I am the biggest Rangers fan in the town'.

"Apparently, Cowan's reply to that was 'You're the biggest f*****g paedophile in the town'.

"Everyone was in total shock and no one took it as a joke."

Last night, a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police confirmed: "An allegation has been made and police inquiries are at an early stage to establish whether any crime has been committed."

You do have to wonder though what a priest was doing at a function in a Masonic Lodge!