Revenge attack on party death woman

A BEAUTY therapist who was jailed after her on-off boyfriend died in a cocaine-fuelled fight has been assaulted in what police believe was a revenge attack.

• FEARS: Laura King

Laura King was released from jail after serving half of a three-year term for assaulting 20-year-old Alexander "Blue" Thomson with a wine bottle at her Morningside home.

The 26-year-old was believed to have been set upon by a man who grabbed and punched her during the incident in Westfield Road in Gorgie.

Police are understood to be linking the attack to the death of Mr Thomson, although no arrests have been made.

King did not attend hospital following the incident, which took place at around 7pm last Saturday, after being able to flee from her assailant.

King was said to have been living in fear even while she served her jail term in Cornton Vale women's prison amid rumours that she would be "slashed" by someone paid to carry out a hit as part of the vendetta.

And while she was in prison, the block of flats were she had lived were twice daubed with graffiti with messages such as "Murderer - you're next" and "No justice - only revenge".

A source said: "She's been a marked woman from the moment 'Blue' died because he was popular. People were looking to have her slashed in the face while she was doing time. She was only punched this time but she'll always have to be looking over her shoulder."

A police spokesman said: "Police are investigating an assault on a 26-year-old woman that happened in Westfield Road at around 7pm on Saturday, October 2. Anyone with any information should contact police immediately."

Mr Thomson, an apprentice electrician who was embroiled in what his family later described as a "fatal attraction" relationship with King, died following the attack with a wine bottle on January 13, 2008.

During a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, King, then 24, and her co-accused, former private schoolboy Peter "PJ" Tarwinski, then 25, were cleared of culpable homicide after a pathologist said Mr Thomson's cocaine habit could have contributed to his death.

On the night of the death, King, a former Boroughmuir High pupil, had been snorting cocaine with Tarwinski and his friend Eve McBride when Mr Thomson arrived at her home.

Later, the two men started fighting and the trial heard that King became involved, making a "jabbing motion" several times towards Mr Thomson's body with a piece of glass.

An ambulance was called to the 18-flat block yards from the Dominion Cinema at 6.30am.Mr Thomson was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but died a short time later.

The trial also heard evidence about the on-off couple's volatile relationship, alleging that King wanted him dead and that she had been having sex with Tarwinski behind her ex's back.

Before being jailed for assaulting Mr Thomson, the court heard that King had been convicted of attacking two sisters with a corkscrew, but escaped a prison sentence.

Mr Thomson's mother, Wendy Barlow, hit out at the decision to release King from Cornton Vale on parole. Mrs Barlow branded King as "pure evil" and said she was still a "massive danger to the public".