Brutal attack changed life of missing mum

THE husband of a mother missing from a Lothian hospital today pleaded for her to get in touch, as he revealed a vicious attack had led to her becoming paranoid she had contracted HIV.

Fears are growing for 34-year-old Louise Scott, who disappeared from a ward at St John's Hospital in Livingston, where she was being treated for psychiatric health problems.

Husband Archie, 38, today told how she had no history of mental illness until the attack last year and had been overseeing the building of a new family home and undergoing IVF treatment.

He said her illness had come on suddenly after she broke up a fight on a night out with friends.

He said: "We're very worried because that's been four days she's gone without any medication. It's been very difficult. She had seemed to be getting better then everything went downhill again. I just want her to come back, or let us know she is OK." Mr Scott, a bathroom fitter, said his wife had become "paranoid" she had contracted HIV after being bitten by someone rumoured to have the disease, and despite being healthy was terrified she would pass it on.

He said: "It all started in September last year. She broke up a fight and one of the people bit her and she developed a fixation that she had HIV.

"Everything was OK up until that happened – it just happened all of a sudden.

"She had a lot of different things all going on prior to that. We're in the middle of trying to build a house and I don't think my wife had realised what we had taken on.

"We were also going through IVF treatment last year and that wasn't working out. Her gran had died before that and everything just built up.

"She was coping with everything, but when this fight happened and somebody said the person may have HIV, it started from there and she just got gradually worse."

Mrs Scott, who has a 16-year-old son, was allowed out for half an hour within the hospital grounds on Sunday and was being visited by her mother-in-law when she disappeared.

She is known to have travelled to the train station in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, and tried to get on a train to Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon.

When she learned there were no trains running she went to the Station Hotel in Carstairs and tried to find out when the next train would arrive. She left shortly afterwards, at around 5pm on Sunday, and has not been seen or heard from since. Police believe she may be in Edinburgh, where she is originally from.

A police spokesman said: "We are very concerned for Louise's safety and well-being, and we urge anyone who may have seen her since she went missing to contact us immediately.

"When last seen she was attempting to get a train to Edinburgh, and we think that she may now be in the Capital."

Mrs Scott is described as white, around 5ft 8in, slim, with blue eyes and light-brown long hair. When last seen she was wearing a turquoise sweatshirt, blue jeans, white trainers, and carrying a brown shoulder bag.

• www.lbp.police.uk
• www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk