A TROUBLED young woman who tried to sniff a cannister of lighter gas before running into traffic on the Erskine Bridge has been given a curfew to help her get support.

Taylor Sutherley, 20, was being driven across the bridge with social workers having been given a bail order from Paisley Sheriff Court earlier on March 26.

As they travelled, Sutherley took out the cannister and tried to inhale the gas and would not stop when asked.

Just over the bridge on the Old Kilpatrick slip road, they pulled over and Sutherley got out and ran on to the lanes of traffic on the bridge, causing a number of drivers to call police out of concern for the woman.

Social workers managed to get her back to the vehicle and when police arrived, found her sitting in front of the car, refusing to hand over the lighter gas.

When an officer reached over to take it, she lashed out with her arms and legs and told them to “get to f***”.

Eventually they managed to get the can away but she took out another one and an officer leaned into the vehicle to take it and she leaned forward, trying to bite the cop on the arm. He moved away in time.

Sutherley then picked up a mobile phone and was banging it on the dashboard of the vehicle.

She was taken to Clydebank police office and put in a cell and monitored.

At around 11.15pm, Sutherley was covered with a blanket and police couldn’t check her wellbeing so went in and asked her to remove it. Again she tried to bite an officer.

Sutherley, formerly of John Street, Barrhead, and now at Overtoun House in Clydebank, previously admitted the assaults and behaviour at the bridge and at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff John Hamilton said the social work report was “deeply troubling”.

It had recommended a community payback order but Sutherley’s defence solicitor said her support workers, who were in court, believed that to be setting her up to fail.

He said they were managing her transition from the child care system to that for adults and believed an electronic tag to keep her inside at night would help their work.

Sheriff Hamilton said it was clear there was “a lot of work to be done” and urged Sutherley to engage with the support she was being offered.

He said: “Everyone is supporting you and trying to help you find stability.”

Sutherley must stay at home between 7pm and 7am every day for the next three months.

The sheriff added: “In different circumstances and with a different person, it might be a different outcome. It appears this is what will be required to provide some stability.”