A WOMAN who got into a car outside a Clydebank nightclub mistakenly thinking it was a taxi ended up kicking another woman in the face in a drunken row inside the vehicle.

First offender Courtney Sweeney struck her victim on the nose and eyebrow with her high-heeled shoe in the attack.

Sweeney, a court heard last week, had been trying to get home from Club Mango after becoming separated from friends during a hen night.

The 24-year-old sat in tears in the dock at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday as details of the incident were read out.

Emma Thomson, prosecuting, told the court that the victim of the assault had been at the Dumbarton Road venue with two of her friends after attending a charity event in Drumchapel on the night of October 1, 2016.

Ms Thomson said the victim’s boyfriend had gone to Club Mango at around 3am on October 2 to pick up his partner and her pals.

Two of the women got in to the car, but they then got out again to go and find the third member of their group – and when the trio returned they found Sweeney, who they did not know, sitting in the back seat.

The court was told the victim’s boyfriend at first didn’t realise Sweeney was not known to the rest of the group.

Ms Thomson told the court: “The accused was asked ‘who are you and why are you in my boyfriend’s car?’, and the accused replied ‘he told me he would take me home’.”

Sweeney refused to leave the car, and was then told the only place she’d be taken was to Clydebank’s police station – and when the car arrived there a short time later, she again refused to get out.

Ms Thomson said: “The accused kicked forward, striking the witness in the face with her thick-heeled, stiletto-style shoe, causing her nose and head to bleed and causing her to feel dazed and confused.”

The victim was seen to have a large lump on her head, and later needed three stitches to her left eyebrow.

Sweeney also attacked one of the other women in the group by grabbing her hair and pulling her head down into the car’s footwell.

Brian Lanigan, defending, said: “Ms Sweeney has never offended before and hasn’t been in trouble since this incident.

“She phoned for a taxi and was told there would be one outside shortly and she should make her way to it. She saw this vehicle with its rear door open and wrongly assumed it was her taxi.

“The driver wrongly assumed she was a friend of his partner, and when he was asked to take her home, he said ‘sure, no problem’.

“The three ladies, in turn, wrongly assumed that Ms Sweeney was known to the driver.

“She consented to going to the police station because by that time she was getting a bit scared at being in a car with people she did not know.

“All the females appeared to be under the influence of drink, but she shouldn’t have done what she did, and she deeply regrets her behaviour.”

Mr Lanigan told the court his client worked on a zero-hours contract with a pizza chain and had a limited income, presenting problems with the sentencing options of unpaid work, a curfew or a fine.

“The reservation I have about unpaid work,” he said, “is that if, on a zero hours contract, you say on a certain number of occasions that you can’t come in, you’re out the door.”

Sheriff John Hamilton sentenced told Sweeney: “This is quite a difficult case. It’s clear drink was taken, and that was the fundamental problem for you and all parties.

“But your conduct was the inappropriate conduct.”Sweeney, who admitted two charge, was told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work within nine months.

The sheriff added: “I appreciate that a zero hours contract is a potential issue, but the bottom line is that the work has to be done.”