ELEANOR Belcher, who vowed through the Evening Advertiser she would kick drugs and prostitution, has walked free from court despite loitering in a part of town she had been asked to stay away from.

Belcher, whose descent into the world of drugs and prostitution as a teenager was featured in the Adver in July, was told by magistrates she did not have to pay a £50 fine because she had been kept in custody overnight.

The 21-year-old had originally pleaded not guilty to a charge of soliciting and was brought before court after being caught in breach of the bail conditions by entering a part of town she was excluded from.

That matter could not be proceeded with by the prosecution because she changed her plea and admitted the offence.

Belcher, of Cranmore Avenue, Park South, was caught trying to engage in trade on Manchester Road during the evening of October 17, magistrates were told.

She told the Adver in July: "I want it to work, I really do. I'm determined never to go back on the old treadmill."

When she was arrested for the offence last month, the court was told she said "I don't believe this." And when she got to the police station she was found in possession of four condoms.

After determining a fine of £50 and ordering she pay £25 towards the costs of the case, magistrates told her that she would not have to pay the money because she had been kept in custody overnight.