A HELENSBURGH man has appeared in court charged with murder after the death of a woman who got into difficulty in water off Helensburgh pier.

Jacob Foster, 28, made no plea or declaration during a brief appearance in private at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday.

He was committed for further examination and was granted bail pending a further appearance on a date yet to be confirmed.

However it is understood that Mr Foster remains in custody in the interim.

Emergency services were alerted to an incident at the pier at around 5.15pm on Friday.

The woman, who was named online as 25-year-old Charmaine O’Donnell, from Glasgow, was pulled from the water and pronounced dead at the scene.

The pier was closed to the public on Saturday while police carried out a detailed investigation of the scene.

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