Bay City Rollers stars reveal their mixed feelings over Tam Paton

FORMER Bay City Roller Alan Longmuir today insisted he will remember Tam Paton for the man he was in the early days of the band, not the controversial character he became.

The 60-year-old 1970s teen heartthrob spoke of his sadness at hearing his controversial former manager had died on Wednesday night from a suspected heart attack while in the bath at his Gogar mansion.

But Longmuir's comments come as fellow Rollers star Les McKeown today claimed Paton raped him and threatened to kill him if he spoke out about it. He described Paton as a tyrant.

He said: "I almost feel guilty for being so happy but I can't imagine a man nor beast who will be mourning the passing of Tam Paton.

"I hate him. I'm glad he's dead. I was just a young boy. I was only 18, 19 when he raped me."

"Tam was an evil manipulator of young men. He used his power and drugs. Tam was great for plying the band with drugs to keep us working and under his control."

Longmuir painted a different story of the controversial Paton though.

He said: "Tam Paton was a good guy at the very beginning, as well as being a very competent musician. He tried very hard to keep us unique, which was good.

"I will remember him as he was during the early days when we had no money, but there were plenty of laughs."

The former band member, who grew up in the Capital, is now a plumber in Bannockburn.

Former bandmate, and life-long friend, Stuart "Woody" Wood called him just hours after Mr Paton's death to tell him the news.

He said he had not seen Mr Paton for at least 15 years - the last time being when the 70-year-old former manager - who was convicted of sex offences against teenage boys in 1982 - took the band out for a meal.

For years the musicians have been involved in a legal wrangle over claims they are owed money through missing royalties from their recordings.

Mr Longmuir – who was a founder member of The Bay City Rollers along with his brother, Derek, and Nobby Clark – said: "I think it was when we ended up in London that Tam got fed up.

"Everything changed in 1979 when money started going missing. Tam started sending really unexperienced tour managers to work with us.

"I do believe he abandoned the band - he had the high-life and we were left to fight the lawyers.

"But he was a fun type of guy - very comical. He was also a control freak though and tried to stop us going out with girls.

"It wasn't because he was gay – we never even knew he was gay at the start – it was just that everything was always about the band."

A friend of Mr Paton's, who was at his house yesterday, and did not want to be named, said: "It's a traumatic time at the moment.

"As you can imagine, everyone here is just really upset."

Mr Paton once said that he had an estimated £5 million fortune and that on his death, he would be likely to leave it to animal charities.

Paton's brother, David, 79, who lives in Cockenzie, East Lothian, said: "It's a sad time. I'll be sorting out his funeral arrangements."

It is understood that the dead man's two sisters, along with friends, have now made their way up from London to deal with his affairs.

Some of Paton's fortune, which has been estimated at more than £5 million, could be seized under proceeds of crime laws, it was reported today.

Police have confirmed they left Mr Paton's mansion shortly after undertakers arrived on Wednesday night, and that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

By CATHERINE SALMOND