Four face sentencing for dry-shaving head of unconscious woman

Three men and a woman who took part in an attack on a vulnerable woman who had her hair dry-shaved were told they will be sentenced for the incident in the New Year.

Paula Wilson (21), originally from Millfield, Ballymena, was one of four accused who appeared in Antrim Crown Court, sitting in Craigavon, on charges arising from the shaving, which occurred during a drink- and drug-fuelled party in a Co Antrim flat in May last year.

Footage of the incident taken on Wilson’s phone was shown to the court and attracted audible gasps.

The video, which lasted around 10 minutes, showed the unconscious victim having her eyebrows shaved.

Filmed by Wilson, the footage shows her three co-accused then dry-shave the clearly unconscious woman’s head.

Attackers joked

Part of the woman’s hair was also set on fire, with jokes being made by her attackers about setting off the fire alarm.

The three men in the video are Ballymena men Nathan Telford (21), Wilson Avenue, Ballykeel; Alister William Hamilton (22), Drumtara, and Paul Joshua Balmer (42), from Crosshill View, Kells, Co Antrim.

The trio, who are all in custody, and Wilson were told they will be sentenced for their involvement on January 7th, 2015.

Wilson was granted continued bail but was warned by Judge Donna McColgan that she should not take this as an indication of the sentence she will receive next month.

While Hamilton and Telford pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault, Balmer chose to contest the charges but was found unanimously guilty by a jury in September, following a trial.

Wilson, who appeared in court wearing a tag around her ankle, admitted aiding and abetting assault occasioning actual bodily harm and aiding and abetting common assault.