Pub thug dodges jail
A MAN who attacked a member of staff at a Helensburgh pub has been sentenced – again – and continues to avoid jail six years on.
Former Helensburgh resident Robert Cameron, 39, has regularly been given “last chances” over an attack at the former Logie Baird pub in July 2018.
He was handed a communitybased punishment for the assault, but the justice system has spent five years trying to deal with him.
Cameron was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work in the community back in 2019 as part of a community payback order (CPO), but did barely half of those.
The CPO was then revoked in January 2023 and he was given a “final chance” as another one replaced it.
Instead of complying, however, he went on to break the new CPO.
And despite being warned in February this year to “make arrangements” with his family as a prison sentence loomed on the horizon, Cameron has now been allowed to stay in the community.
At the latest hearing, held on March 26, Sheriff Frances McCartney told him: “This is nothing
short of appalling.”
She imposed a restriction of liberty order which will require Cameron to remain at his current home address in Broomhill, Glasgow, from 7pm to 7am every day for 12 weeks.
The sheriff warned him: “If you breach this, I will get a report within 48 hours and issue a warrant.”
Cameron, previously of Grant Street and Williamson Drive, Helensburgh, attacked a member of staff in the now-closed James Street bar on July 21, 2018.
On August 26 that same year, he returned to the pub and threatened the same worker with violence.
When the case called on February 27 this year, the sheriff noted
Cameron had only done 124 hours of unpaid work out of a sentence of 240 hours in almost five years.
Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard Cameron had welcomed a new baby days before the earlier hearing.
His defence solicitor noted that he “brought a bag” to the March sentencing hearing, in case Sheriff McCartney jailed him.