By Stuart Gillespie

Copyright dailyrecord

A mineral collector has been convicted of damaging a site in Dumfries and Galloway by using a hammer to break rocks to collect rare minerals to sell. In the first conviction of its kind in Scotland, Dagmara Lesiow Lasczcewski was found guilty of three charges of causing reckless damage to two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) at Paisley Sheriff Court One of the sites targeted was Talnotry Mine SSI near Newton Stewart, which is a historic mining location containing limited amounts of mineral-bearing soil. Specimens extracted from this, and other vulnerable sites, had been broken and advertised for sale online and at Ms Lasczcewski’s shop, the Caledonian Rock Shop, in Glasgow. The court was shown evidence of social media posts which placed Ms Lasczcsewski at the sites showing her intent to break rocks and extract minerals using hammers. Efforts are now being made to return minerals, removed illegally from the SSSIs, to their rightful owners. Separate to this case, NatureScot believes up to 20 other protected mineral sites in Scotland may also be affected by damaging and exploitative mineral collecting by unknown individuals. Geological advisor with NatureScot, Colin McFadyen, said: “Scotland’s internationally important mineral heritage is an irreplaceable aspect of our nature with the best and most representative locations protected as SSSIs. We support mineral collecting for research, education and recreation, provided it is done responsibly, legally and in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. “However, exploitative collecting from vulnerable sites is unsustainable, especially if it is commercially driven. Rare and important minerals can become lost to science and put beyond public sight. In this case, we have seen some of Scotland’s most vulnerable and important protected mineral sites being targeted and damaged. “We therefore welcome the verdict in this case and expect that it will serve as a deterrent against further damaging and illegal mineral collecting activity. We want to make sure that everyone can benefit from Scotland’s world-class mineral heritage both now and in the future”. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. Iain Batho, who leads on wildlife and environmental crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “It is highly important to preserve Scotland’s natural heritage, including the geology that forms part of it. As such, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are given strict protection by our law. “COPFS takes offences in relation to damaging SSSIs seriously and action will be taken against those who commit such offences, where there is sufficient evidence of a crime and where it is in the overall public interest to do so.”