A diner who couldn't afford to pay for her pork roast at a pub restaurant secretly plucked a young girl's hair and put it in her food to try and get it for free. Louise Smith, 38, has been convicted of fraud and is now on the run after CCTV footage showed her standing over the girl, aged under 10, and pulling two hairs from her head. She was eating dinner with the child and a man in the Crown and Thistle pub near Carlisle, Cumbria, last May when she planted the hairs and complained to staff. But Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard this week that in reality Smith did not have enough money to pay for the £21 dinner. Louise Smith, 38, secretly plucked a young girl's hair and put it in her food at the Crown and Thistle pub near Carlisle, Cumbria . Smith, from Eastriggs, near Annan, denied fraud in February but failed to attend her trial this week so she was convicted in her absence. Prosecutor Peter Kelly told the court that Smith had some drinks at the pub and then ordered a meal. She  moved to three different tables in the bar area and the man asked several questions about the menu and the soup, the court heard. He was given a small sample to try which Smith then ordered. The 38-year-old then approached a member of staff  with a half-eaten meal and said she had found a hair in the food. Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard this week that Smith did not have enough money to pay for the £21 dinner . But when baffled staff probed their CCTV, they found her standing over the small girl and plucking two hairs from her head. Chef Stephen Foster said that once he was made aware of the alleged hair in the food he had to investigate under Health and Safety rules. He told the court that none of his staff had hair like the one found. The court was told Smith was asked if the other meals were okay and she said they were. A refund was offered for the one meal which she refused. It was at this point that it became clear that she did not have enough money to pay the £21 bill. Stephen and Jill Foster, the licensees of the Crown & Thistle, said: 'In the first instance it is important to stress that we take food hygiene extremely seriously and it is for this reason we investigated the hair in the food incident under Health & Safety rules. 'It also came to our attention that this was not a straight forward matter and that as well as being a fraudulent act, the welfare of a child was a concern, something our own CCTV coverage corroborated. 'For this reason the incident was referred to the police which then became a child protection matter and was thereafter pursued through the courts, resulting in a conviction. 'At all times our primary concern was for the welfare of the child and also the health and safety of our customers. 'We pride ourselves on offering excellent quality food to our customers and we are thankful to them for their ongoing loyalty and support.' An arrest warrant, without bail, has now been issued and Cumbria Police has asked Smith to hand herself in. She will be sentenced at a later date.
Louise Smith, 38, has been convicted of fraud and is now on the run.
CCTV footage showed her plucking two hairs from the head of a young girl.
She then planted them in her food and complained to staff at Carlisle pub.
Staff said it became clear that Smith could not afford to pay for £21 dinner.