A MUM-OF-THREE who was locked up after breaching a court’s orders for a third time has been released to see her children over Christmas.
Laura Dowds was found in the company of a man at a house in Kilcreggan on November 12 – in direct breach of a condition of bail.
Dowds, 22, was remanded in custody after admitting the breach in court the day after it happened.
She also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing at police who were called to the property in the village’s Fairfield Gardens.
READ MORE: Woman, 22, arrested over bail breach in Kilcreggan
At Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday, Dowds’ solicitor asked Sheriff John Hamilton to release her client from custody so that she could spend time with her children over Christmas.
The lawyer said: “This bail condition relates to a matter which was due to call for trial on November 27, but the complainer was not present.
“The matter was continued until January 21.
“This has been her first time in custody and she says she has truly learned the ramifications of her actions.”
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Sheriff John Hamilton pointed out: “Her record includes previous breaches of bail in January and February 2017, and in March 2017 she was convicted of assault with domestic aggravation.
“It’s not difficult to see why she’s been remanded. Bail orders don’t seem to mean very much to her.”
Dowds’ solicitor said: “She has had a rude awakening – she has been subject to much targeting during her period in custody, and I have no reason to believe she hasn’t learned her lesson.
“Her primary concern now is seeing her children, particularly at this time of year, given the direct contact she had previously.
“Since being in custody she hasn’t even had indirect contact with them.”
Sheriff Hamilton told Dowds she would be released on bail, to an address in Canmore Street in the east end of Glasgow, to allow social workers to prepare a background report.
He ordered her to come back to court on December 31 to be sentenced.
The sheriff told Dowds: “Bail is a privilege, and given your record of breaching bail, it’s understandable, and probably correct, that you were remanded.
“You must co-operate with the reports and come back on the date given – and if you don’t do either of those things, it’s highly likely you will be remanded again.”
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