NEIL Lennon will not give up his home in Glasgow, despite having to install a panic alarm amid fears for his safety, a leading lawyer who is close to the club's board said yesterday.
Paul McBride, QC, said the Celtic manager was determined to stay in the city, close to his friends and colleagues, and urged police to do more to apprehend those responsible for making death threats against the 39-year-old.
The former Celtic and Northern Ireland midfielder has had a panic button installed at his property in the West End, where he lives with partner Irene McCloy and their young son, Gallagher. It was fitted about two weeks ago on police advice in the wake of heightened fears for the safety of Lennon and his family. The Celtic boss was forced to evacuate Ms McCloy and his son from their home after receiving a threatening phone call in the middle of the night.
The death threats and sectarian abuse have intensified after last week's Old Firm fixture, where Lennon became involved in an altercation with Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist. Both men were last night issued with touchline bans over the confrontation - a two-match penalty for McCoist and a four-match one for Lennon, who already had a misconduct offence this season.
After the game, police intercepted packages addressed to Lennon containing a fake nail-bomb and bullets, and concern is mounting over the nature of comments directed towards him on internet forums.
There had been speculation Lennon was considering his future with the club after last week's game, but Mr McBride told The Scotsman he was committed to staying.
"The alarm was installed two or three weeks ago - it's a black box which is linked to the police," he said. "About two weeks ago, he got a phone call in the middle of the night and he had to move his child and partner out of the house, and they were taken to a hotel. But he'll stay in Glasgow among his friends and colleagues, and he'll definitely stay with Celtic."
The panic button is part of heightened security measures to ensure the safety of Lennon, who is accompanied to club training sessions by a security guard.
In the aftermath of the most recent Old Firm game, the clubs, police and politicians agreed to consider an increased "enforcement of the law" over online abuse, but Mr McBride said police had to take immediate action.
"If you go online just now, you'll see people describing how to kill Neil Lennon," he said. "(Strathclyde Chief Constable] Stephen House and (First Minister] Alex Salmond gave a commitment this week and Strathclyde Police has a dedicated hate-crimes unit. They've got the technology and officers to deal with this, so why people have not been apprehended, I can't understand."
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