Rebecca Douglas combs Julie Sheriff's head.....

[Abroad]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19397596

A 16-year-old girl has been detained for a minimum of 10 years after she was found guilty of murdering a teenager with an Afro comb.

Rebecca Douglas spiked Julie Sheriff in the head with the comb's metal handle in a row in May 2011.

Julie, originally of Sierra Leone, died on 21 September from a brain injury inflicted in the attack in Battersea.

The 16-year-old, from Hackney, east London, was in a coma for almost five months before she died.

Douglas, who can now be named, was sentenced at the Old Bailey.

She got ten years. If anybody can post the photograph of the murder weapon, I would be grateful.

(Digitally challenged, me.)

[Abroad]

Additional information about the comb from the above article:

At her trial in July, the court heard how the teenager had pulled the comb from her handbag and struck Julie, with the tip of the comb penetrating deep into her brain.
A replica of the black comb with a spiked metal handle had been shown to the jury.

A witness saw the defendant strike Julie's collarbone without much effect and then plunge the comb into her skull.

After Douglas was arrested, she was found to have left a BlackBerry message saying: "I see some girl that I hate, like I actually hate her with a passion, and I kind of stabbed her."

Judge Nicholas Cooke warned parents to be aware of the dangers of young girls wearing such combs as "fashion accessories".

"We heard evidence that a pintail comb can be used as a lethal weapon," he said.

"We heard it can be worn in the hair as a fashion accessory.

"It can be as effective a killing instrument as a stiletto knife. It is not a very nice thing to have in your hair."

:wtf:

[Marv]

Julie Sheriff

I've never seen a comb like that before - it looks pretty lethal. It actually looks like it has been modified to be used as a weapon, that spike doesn't look much use as a handle.

[penelopejo]

Julie Sheriff

I've never seen a comb like that before - it looks pretty lethal. It actually looks like it has been modified to be used as a weapon, that spike doesn't look much use as a handle.

It's not modified. I use this type of comb for my daughter's hair since it's really curly. It makes it easier to make a part/line and separate the curls without messing them up.

I'm pondering how she got it through that woman's skull.

[Marv]

It's not modified. I use this type of comb for my daughter's hair since it's really curly. It makes it easier to make a part/line and separate the curls without messing them up.

I'm pondering how she got it through that woman's skull.

So the spike is not meant as a handle, it's meant for separating the hair? Thanks pj, that clears it up. I thought the 'handle' looked a bit flimsy.

[penelopejo]

So the spike is not meant as a handle, it's meant for separating the hair? Thanks pj, that clears it up. I thought the 'handle' looked a bit flimsy.

Well, it is a handle, but the spike is used to part. If you buy a plastic one, it's very flimsy (the one I bought broke the same day!). A metal handle is metal all the way through the comb (through the plastic part behind the teeth) so it's not really flimsy.

[Obsolete]

It's not modified. I use this type of comb for my daughter's hair since it's really curly. It makes it easier to make a part/line and separate the curls without messing them up.

I'm pondering how she got it through that woman's skull.

It's also great for weaving through hair when you're doing highlights.

[Abroad]

I'm pondering how she got it through that woman's skull.

Could have been through one of the natural openings? Or could have been just a very determined jab at exactly the right angle? Makes me queasy giving it too much thought.