Clutha ghoul walks free after quarrel

Teenager told to stay out of trouble after latest incident

A GHOUL who stole charity money from the Clutha in the wake of the helicopter tragedy has dodged a custodial sentence again.

Charmaine Holmes has escaped being locked up for a raft of offences including stealing from the disaster-hit pub, threatening to slit a schoolboy’s throat during a terrifying daylight mugging and attacking a police officer.

And yesterday the 18-yearold escaped for a fourth time – for a quarrel outside a house in her former home town of Paisley.

The town’s sheriff court heard that Holmes – who is now living in Ardrossan, Ayrshire – lost her temper outside a house in the town on January 31 this year.

Lauren McGonigal, prosecuting, said Kayleigh Forrester, who lives at the house in Morar Drive, had been unwell and had friends staying over to look after her the night before.

The court heard that Holmes had been in the house but had been flung out and, once outside, tried to get back in.

She refused to calm down and demanded the officers force their way into the flat so she could get her stuff back.

Police spoke with Forrester and, once realising that Holmes had not been assaulted, they took her to Paisley’s Mill Street police office.

She was so drunk at the time that officers did not tell her what she was being charged with.

Sheriff McCartney opted not to lock Holmes up, telling the teenager he was giving her a chance to prove she could stay out of trouble.

He deferred sentence until May for her to be of good behaviour and said he would have a review hearing for the CPO on the same date.

She was originally remanded in custody over the case and attacked a court officer in the dock as she was being led away.