Clutha: Teens face cash and alcohol theft charges

FOUR teenagers face spending the festive season behind bars as they face charges of stealing alcohol and charity money from the site of the Clutha helicopter disaster that claimed the lives of 10 people.

Four teenagers accused of breaking into the Clutha helicopter crash site and stealing money and alcohol have been remanded in custody. Picture: Robert Perry

Darren Melrose, 18, 16-year-olds Jordan Parry and Billy Jo Revie and another 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested after allegations that they robbed what remains of the Clutha bar on Glasgow’s Clydeside.

All four are accused of stealing a “quantity of alcohol and cash from charity tins” from the crash site.

Appearing separately and making no plea or declaration, the teenagers were remanded by Sheriff Brian Adair at a hearing at the city’s sheriff court yesterday.

The accused are expected to be held over Christmas.

The alleged robbery comes less than three weeks after a police helicopter crashed through Clutha pub roof on a Friday night, killing ten people.

The funeral of Joe Cusker, the tenth victim of the disaster, took place yesterday. Helicopter crew Captain David Traill, 51 and constables Tony Collins, 43, and Kirsty Nelis, 36, were killed.

John McGarrigle, 57, Mark O’Prey, 44, Gary Arthur, 48, Colin Gibson, 33, Robert Jenkins, 61, Samuel McGhee, 56, who were all customers at the bar, also died.