Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Man guilty of killing stranger by pushing her off pier for 'bit of fun'

A man has been found guilty of killing a stranger after walking past her and pushing her from a pier for a "bit of fun".

Jacob Foster, 29, shoved Charmaine O'Donnell into the water last year as she enjoyed a day out with friends.

The 25-year-old charity worker plunged to her death at Helensburgh Pier, Scotland, losing her life due to severe neck injuries and drowning.

Read More: Tormented woman says monster Ian Huntley 'locked me in room and demanded sex when I was just 11'

Foster was convicted of a culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The killer - who has a learning disability - had been accused of murder, but his lawyers had lodged a special defence of diminished responsibility, Glasgow Live reported.

(Mike Gibbons)

Foster, also of Helensburgh, had his bail continued pending sentencing in September.

Miss O'Donnell, of Glasgow, had gone on a day out to Helensburgh with her friend Caitlin McTaggart on April 23 2021.

She told jurors: "I had wanted to go the Campsies where there is a waterfall. She said 'no' because she would have ended up in the water basically."

They got chatting to men fishing at the pier as Foster lurked nearby.

A group of youngsters had also been jumping into the water to swim.

Miss McTaggart recalled suddenly hearing a "commotion" and she said "somebody" had gone over the railings at the pier.

She did not initially know who it was, but a person shouted: "That's your pal".

She then peered over and to her horror found Charmaine in the sea. A number of the youngsters there immediately tried to help.

(dailyrecord.co.uk)

Prosecutor Alex Prentice QC asked Caitlin: "Did you say anything to Jacob?"

Caitlin: "I was screaming at him to help her. He just kept saying: 'What have I done? I have taken it too far this time. I am going away for a long time'."

Paramedics and police raced to the scene, but Charmaine did not survive.

Stephen Cairns, 42, was one of the men fishing that day. He remembered Foster shoving Charmaine over the edge.

Mr Prentice asked: "So, with her back to Jacob, who then pushed her with both hands?"

Mr Cairns replied: "Yes. It was just carnage after that."

PC Gary Davidson spoke to Foster at the pier after the incident and told jurors: "He said that it was an accident. He said: 'I just pushed her. It was just a bit of fun'.

"He said that he had a few cans that day. I said to him the best thing was to stay calm and not say anything, but he said these things again and again."

Foster added: "I did not know that she could not swim."

Foster's lawyers had claimed - due his mental health issues - he had misunderstood an alleged remark Charmaine made about going into the water.

But, in his closing speech, Mr Prentice said there was "overwhelming" evidence Foster pushed Charmaine insisting it was "deliberate conduct".

Sean Templeton, defending, had asked for Foster to be completely acquitted stating: "It was a young man with learning difficulties who got it wrong."

It emerged after the verdict Foster had a number of previous convictions including assaulting a staff member at a Costa coffee shop in Helensburgh in 2018.

Mr Prentice told the court Charmaine had been on furlough at the time from her job as an assistant manager at a British Heart Foundation shop.

She was due to return a week after she died.

The advocate depute: "It is clear she was much loved and her death has brought untold and continuing grief.

"She was described as a loving and selfless person."

Lord Fairley said in the "very unusual circumstances" of the case he would continue bail and adjourned for reports.

READ NEXT:

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.