Hsqldb: collect database lock when connecting to db file

I am trying to connect to hsqldb (using version 2.2.9).

I created one of them:

java -cp hsqldb-2.2.9.jar org/hsqldb/util/DatabaseManagerSwing

When I try to connect to db via my ui, I get the following exception:

Exception occured :  java.sql.SQLException: Database lock acquisition failure: lockFile: org.hsqldb.persist.LockFile@76e90d02[file =/rhel5pdi/home/mgnyp/workspace/src/Project/webapp/WEB-INF/lib/testDataBase.lck, exists=true, locked=false, valid=false, ] method: checkHeartbeat read: 2013-04-23 10:35:22 heartbeat - read: -8403 ms.
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.Util.sqlException(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.Util.sqlException(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCConnection.<init>(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCDriver.getConnection(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCDriver.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:582)
    at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:185)

I assumed that db is blocked because DatabaseManagerSwing made a connection before my ui, so I closed it. This caused the following exception:

 Exception occured :  java.sql.SQLException: Database lock acquisition failure: lockFile: org.hsqldb.persist.LockFile@76e90d02[file =/rhel5pdi/home/mgnyp/workspace/src/PmtMetricsUI2/webapp/WEB-INF/lib/testDataBase.lck, exists=false, locked=false, valid=false, ] method: openRAF reason: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /rhel5pdi/home/mgnyp/workspace/src/Project/webapp/WEB-INF/lib/testDataBase.lck (Permission denied)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.Util.sqlException(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.Util.sqlException(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCConnection.<init>(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCDriver.getConnection(Unknown Source)
    at org.hsqldb.jdbc.JDBCDriver.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:582)
    at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:185)

I am using spring mvc and c3p0. Connection details (absolute path to the provided db):

Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:hsqldb:file:/home/mgnyp/workspace/src/Project/webapp/WEB-INF/lib/testDataBase", "SA", "");

I tried this approach, unsuccessfully, unfortunately: Error detecting database lock and hsqldb

I also looked at the docs on hsql.org

Sorry if the problem is obvious, I have never used hsql before.

I would appreciate any help or tips.

Thank.