A WOMAN who attacked an Inverclyde retail worker after being stopped on suspicion of shoplifting has been handed a dusk-to-dawn curfew as punishment.

Cheryl Ann Rodgers repeatedly slapped a staff member at the Co-op in Gourock after the man moved in and grabbed her bag outside the store.

Rodgers, 36, of Kempock Street in Gourock, had been heavily taking drugs at the time of the offence,  a sentencing hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court was told.

She appeared in the dock from custody to admit a charge of assaulting the man who had confronted her over an alleged theft.

Rodgers' solicitor, Edel McGinty, told the court that her client had served the last couple of weeks on remand and 'is quite a vulnerable individual with a number of mental health issues'.

Miss McGinty added: "At the time of this offence she had quite a significant difficulty with drugs.

"She managed to get herself drug-free. As a result of everything coming down around her she went back to drugs but has now managed to get herself clean again."

Procurator fiscal depute Corey Laouadi told the hearing: "The complainer was the team leader within the locus [Co-op].

"At around 5.15pm the accused attended the shop and the complainer monitored her on CCTV.

"He had cause to stop the accused with another outside the door of the shop.

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"The shopworker then took hold of a bag being held by the accused, who then grabbed a lanyard from the neck of the complainer and threw it to the floor.

"She then began to slap the complainer around the head area."

Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill, who noted that Rodgers has a 'limited record of previous convictions', decided to impose a six-month restriction of liberty order - meaning Rodgers must remain at home on an electronic tag between the hours of 7pm and 7am each night.