Recently, Susan Boyle announced that she would be ending a long period marked with no public performances by tweeting her scheduled appearance at Glamis Prom 2017, to be held on July 15 in Angus, Scotland, where she will perform along with Christina Bianco, Lee Mead, Soul Nation, and The Scottish Pops Orchestra. The announcement caused Boyle's name to briefly trend, with many devoted fans likely searching for information about what the Scottish treasure is up to today.

However, Susan Boyle's name trended for an entirely different reason late yesterday when news broke that groups of teenage thugs have been harassing the singer, hurling both stones and abuse, as she tries to live her life in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.

Up to 15 'vermin' confront Susan Boyle

One witness of a recent Susan Boyle attack was quoted by Metro, "We were inside the bus and they were throwing stones, screaming and shouting things." On another occasion, the group was alleged to have lit pieces of paper on fire and to have thrown them in Boyle's face.

"Why don’t you get yourself a pair of glasses you ugly, old b****," other abuse was quoted. Gangs of "10-15" youths are said to be routinely confronting the 56-year-old talent. Piers Morgan called the perpetrators "vile little vermin." The Sun reports that those close to Boyle are investigating and asking the police for help, to "make sure she is safe."

In 2013, The Guardian reported on Susan Boyle's diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome.

Up until she was diagnosed, the Scot believed that she was "brain damaged," following complications with her birth. Also in 2013, Asperger's syndrome was folded into the more broad diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. A neighbor, among a group said to be making an effort to "look out" for Boyle, commented that her "condition makes it harder to handle the abuse."

2009 viral sensation

Susan Boyle rose to international stardom in 2009 when she appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

The audience and judges first laughed at the portly and eccentric then-47-year-old as she gyrated her hips in a seeming Elvis-Presley-inspired manner after being asked what she was going to do for the audience by Simon Cowell. The audience's and judges' laughter quickly stopped once they heard Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

Upon hearing her first notes, the audience broke into wild applause and soon rose to their feet, giving the singer a rousing standing ovation as she continued. Piers Morgan, who was a member of the judging panel, observed at the time that when Susan Boyle first walked on the stage and spoke with the judges "everyone was laughing" at her.

"No one is laughing now," Piers Morgan's voice boomed through the theater in April 2009. "That was stunning! An incredible performance. I'm reeling from shock." Amanda Holden, another judge on the panel in 2009, was reported by Metro to have expressed a belief that Boyle was going to be a comic act, instead of a singer. At the time, Holden offered the opinion that the judges and audience were being "cynical," and called the moment a "wake up call." She described the opportunity to witness Boyle's performance as a "privilege."
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