A teenager hit a worker from a weekly payment store after she was asked to stump up unpaid debts.

Brunette Cherise Lawrence had claimed not to be the woman Stephen O’Brien was looking for – and even donned a blond wig to disguise her appearance.

The 18-year-old had denied the assault but was convicted by Kirklees magistrates following a trial.

Andy Wills, prosecuting, said that the incident happened on July 14 last year.

At the time mum-of-one Lawrence had an account with BrightHouse but that had gone into arrears.

Accounts manager Mr O’Brien called at Lawrence’s home in Glastonbury Drive, Longwood, to discuss an alternative payment plan with her.

Mr Wills said: “A female answered the door and he asked to speak to Miss Lawrence.

“The defendant stated ‘who?’ and he reiterated who he wanted to speak to.”

Lawrence then responded that the person he was looking for didn’t live at the address anymore.

Mr O’Brien then went to check his information with his phone and documentation, but the teenager tried to grab these.

Mr Wills said: “Then, without warning, she lashed out and hit him to the right side of his face.

“He was shocked by this and called police.”

Magistrates heard that while Mr O’Brien was on the phone, Lawrence left the house in disguise.

Mr Wills said: “She had now changed her appearance by putting a blond wig on her head.

“As she left the house she said to him: ‘What are you doing here, you f*****g idiot?’.

The prosecutor said that Mr O’Brien went back to the store and checked CCTV footage from when Lawrence had opened her account.

He said: “The same person he identified as assaulting him opened the account.”

In interview Lawrence denied knowledge of the assault, claiming that she was not home on the day in question.

Her debts have now been passed on to a debt collector.

The case had been adjourned for sentencing, but when the teen failed to show up for court a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Ian Whiteley, mitigating, said that his client still stood by her claim that she was not responsible attacking Mr O’Brien.

He said: “It’s an unusual case where the person came out of Miss Lawrence’s home address wearing a wig. “She says she was not that person and her stance is still that she doesn’t agree with what the magistrates’ decision was.”

Magistrates gave Lawrence a community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered her to pay £50 compensation to Mr O’Brien, £190 costs and £60 victim surcharge.