A FAIFLEY woman has been ordered to carry out unpaid community work after she failed to turn up at court to be sentenced for assault.

Lisa McDougall, of Auchnacraig Road, grabbed her victim by the hair and pulled her to the ground in the row in Faifley Road last September.

The 29-year-old’s solicitor told a court hearing on Friday his client had missed a previous court date because she had “got her dates mixed up”.

Fiscal depute Sarah Healing said: “At about 1pm on September 26, the complainer was at the locus talking to a friend when she observed the accused approach her.

“There followed an exchange of words between them, and then the accused grabbed the complainer by the hair with both hands before pulling her to the ground. She shouted something at her and then made off.”

The victim of the attack, who was not injured, made her way home by bus before calling police, who traced McDougall on October 12 and cautioned and charged her.

Tom Brown, defending, said: “There is something of a history between Ms McDougall and the complainer, involving another person. She also had her hair pulled during the course of this.

“There has been no further contact with the complainer and there is not likely to be.”

Mr Brown suggested deferring sentence on his client for six months to allow her to show she could stay out of trouble.

Instead, Sheriff Simon Pender placed McDougall under social work supervision for 12 months on the assault charge, and told her to do 40 hours’ unpaid work within three months as a punishment for her no-show in court.