A MUM-OF-SIX who terrorised schoolkids on their lunch break has dodged a prison sentence.

Margaret Rooney hounded the teenagers in Linwood on March 12 this year.

She had previously appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court where she admitted assaulting a 13-year-old girl by throwing a brick and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and chasing after her – as well as chasing after a 17-year-old girl and boys aged 14 and 16.

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Charges that 35-year-old Rooney also assaulted the younger boy by punching him and of behaving in a threatening or abusive way by demanding that he fight another child were dropped by prosecutors. 

Procurator fiscal depute John Penman said trouble flared after Rooney had been given inaccurate information about one of the youngsters.

He told the court: “The accused was advised somewhat erroneously about this boy. The accused approached him. She was seen to pick up a brick and throw it.”

Rooney then shouted, swore and threw other objects at the kids before chasing after them – but prosecutors dropped claims she had been armed with a knife.

The children, who can’t be named for legal reasons, got away and returned to school, where they told the assistant headteacher about the incident, and the police were contacted.

The incident had been recorded on a mobile phone by a witness and Rooney was traced and detained. She told officers: “I was just defending my sister.”

Defence solicitor Des Ziolo said Rooney knew she could be jailed as “all sentencing options remain open.”

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Sheriff Tom McCartney had called for background reports ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case until last week for that to be done.

When Rooney, of Linwood, returned to the dock to learn her fate, Sheriff McCartney spared her jail.

Instead, he placed her on a Community Payback Order (CPO) which will see her supervised by social workers for 15 months.

As the CPO did not include any unpaid hours of work, it has no punitive element.