A CUMNOCK woman who punched her sister who starred in a controversial fly-on-the-wall TV documentary has been given a slap on the wrist by a sheriff - after both were told they had taken up 'enough time' at court.

Joanne McLaughlan thumped her sibling Dayna in a brawl that her lawyer said was “like two children fighting over sweeties” during a bust-up over property.

The 37-year-old was ordered to keep her nose clean for six months when she appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court.

The assault victim, Dayna McLaughlan, appeared in the BAFTA-winning BBC series The Scheme.

Joanne McLaughlan was admonished and dismissed in her absence - despite failing to appear for a hearing last week - after a sheriff remarked "both take enough of our time".

She previously pleaded guilty to assaulting her sister by seizing her by the hair and striking her on the head. 

The incident, which happened in Cumnock’s Wylie Crescent on July 20 last year, was captured on doorbell CCTV footage. 

The court’s procurator fiscal depute said: “At 7.41pm on July 20, 2023, the witness was in her front garden when there was an altercation with the accused.

“The accused had accused the witness of having something belonging to her.

“She denied this and tried walking away when the accused grabbed her hair and hit her to the head.

“Ms [Joanne] McLaughlan then walked away. There was no injury, but an ambulance was called due to a sore head.

“The incident was captured on CCTV. The accused was later cautioned and charged and made no reply.”

Defence solicitor John Gallagher asked Sheriff Mhairi MacTaggart if she knew of the complainer, and the judge replied: “I do.”

Mr Gallagher said: “Having seen the Ring doorbell footage, it was akin to two children fighting over sweeties.

“Peace has broken out between the sisters at the moment, but they are forever falling out.”

Sheriff MacTaggart deferred sentence for six months and ordered McLaughlan, of McCall Avenue, Cumnock, to be of good behaviour.

However, she failed to turn up to later sentencing hearings, despite prosecutors confirming she had been of good behaviour in the past six months.

Mr Gallagher said his client 'wasn't present' having 'given various assurances', after failing to appear for sentencing previously in September.

He asked the court to consider taking a pragmatic approach, to which Sheriff MacTaggart replied: "She and the complainer take up enough of our time - she's admonished."

We previously reported Dayna McLaughlin was jailed and placed on the sex offender's register for threatening behaviour and sexually assaulting a man in Cumnock. 

The Scheme, broadcast in 2010, followed the lives of six families in the Onthank and Knockinlaw housing schemes in Kilmarnock. 

But it attracted praise and criticism in equal measure, with some labelling it “poverty porn” and claiming that it gave a misleading impression of life in the two areas and exploited many of those who appeared on screen – accusations denied by the programme’s makers.

It was chosen as the winner of the ‘best factual series’ prize at the 2011 BAFTA Scotland awards.