A FEMALE soldier took exception when she mistakenly thought drugs were being taken at a Clitheroe party she was attending.

Blackburn magistrates heard Sophie Louise Roberts argued with the party host and then assaulted her after a further disagreement.

Roberts, 24, of Talbot Close, Clitheroe, pleaded guilty to assaulting Alice Fielding. She was fined £580 and ordered to pay £200 compensation and £143 costs.

Andy Robinson, prosecuting, said the victim was at pains to point out that there were no drugs in the house as Roberts had alleged. After an argument Miss Fielding went upstairs to a bedroom but Roberts followed and punched Miss Fielding her and . She then took hold of her hair with both hands. Other people came into the room and as they tried to separate the two women Miss Fielding was dragged off the bed by her hair.

Mr Robinson said the assault lasted a couple of minutes and the victim was left with soreness from the initial punch, soreness to her scalp and scratch marks to her cheek.

In her interview Roberts, who is an air traffic controller with the Army Air Corps based in Northern Ireland, said because of a text message someone received she perceived there were drugs in the house.

She said she went to the bedroom to apologise to Miss Fielding for pushing her.

“Obviously What I did was wrong,” she said.