A MEMBER of the notorious gang of ‘ghouls’ who broke into The Clutha in the wake of the helicopter tragedy is now living in Ardrossan.

Charmaine Holmes, who has repeatedly dodged jail over a string of offences, has moved to the town in a bid to get away from friends who have been a bad influence on her.

The teenage tearway has been in court for attacking police officers, stealing charity money from the disaster-hit pub, and threatening to slit a schoolboy’s throat during a terrifying daylight mugging – but so far has escaped a custodial sentence.

The 18-year-old appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court last week to be sentenced over a rammy outside a house in the town on January 31 this year.

Michael McKeown, defending, told the court that Holmes was now living in the hostel in Princes Street so she could distance herself from the ‘negative peer group’ she associated with.

It was because of a drunken night with these friends that Holmes found herself in court again.

Lauren McGonigal, prosecuting, said Holmes’ pal, Kayleigh Forrester, 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.

Ms McGonigal explained: “It was around 9am and the witnesses were sleeping in the living room.

“They were woken by the sound of noise and observed the accused with a companion, shouting and swearing and demanding entry.

“She walked towards the porch door and began shouting through the window, ‘F****** idiots, youse are getting done in’ and again demanding entry.” The Fiscal Depute told Sheriff Tom McCartney that Holmes believed she had left her phone and bank card in the house.

She called the police to say that Forrester had assaulted her when she’d been inside the property.

Police attended and saw an agitated Holmes, who they believed was either drunk or on drugs.

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.

She later admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, demanding entry to the flat and making threats when she appeared in court.

Michael McKeown, defending, said: “She was trying to get back in to recover her property. It is a very regrettable incident.” The lawyer said Holmes had ‘a considerable history of offending’ but had managed to stay out of trouble, with the exception of this offence, since being placed on a Community Payback Order (CPO) for robbing the Clutha in Glasgow’s Clyde Street.

He also said she was ‘complying well’ with a CPO she was given earlier this year for threatening to kill a schoolboy as she robbed him of a football, adding: “Miss Holmes is doing all that’s required of her.” 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. As he did so, he said: “You put yourself at great risk of going to custody.

“I’m not going to do that today. The report for your most recent CPO tells me you are complying very well with that order.” 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.