TWO of the four inmates originally accused of putting of a women's
prison near Stirling on a riot footing, pled guilty at Stirling Sheriff
Court yesterday to a reduced charge of breach of the peace.
Catherine McDonald, 21, of Smithton Park, Inverness, and Sonia
Mitchell, 19, of Broxholm Terrace, Inverness, admitted that they had
barricaded the door of a sitting room at Cornton Vale prison with a wall
unit and a pool table during a disturbance on July 4.
The Crown agreed to drop allegations that they had thrown furniture
around, jammed a hatch with a piece of wood, vandalised shelving, and
pulled a radiator from the wall, causing flood damage.
The prosecution also agreed to delete an accusation that McDonald and
Mitchell had ''failed to desist'' when asked to by prison officers,
Sentence on the women, who are still prisoners at Cornton Vale, was
deferred for two weeks for social inquiry and community service reports
to be prepared.
Sheriff Thomas Ward granted warrants for the arrest of two former
prisoners, now at liberty, who failed to appear at the hearing.
Karen Moorehouse, 17, of Ainslie Place, Perth, and Michelle Chisholm,
18, of Bonhill Street, Hamiltonhill, Glasgow, still face the original
charge.
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