03/07/2025
FIFE BABY BASH: MUM WHO HAD HAIR YANKED OUT AWARDED COMPENSATION
A clash between two mums at a baby shower ended with one of them having a clump of hair yanked from her head.
The assault was carried out by the niece of darts legend Jocky Wilson, as feuding families turned the pre-birth celebrations into chaos.
The attacker, 45-year-old Sarah Wilson (pictured), appeared for sentencing today.
During a trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, she submitted a guilty plea to one of the charges she faced.
Wilson, of Hendry Road, Kirkcaldy, admitted that on 18th May last year at Lochore Miners’ Welfare Institute, Lochleven Road, Lochore, she assaulted Pamela Ritchie by seizing her by the hair.
Her daughter Chardonnay, 20, was found guilty of assaulting the 61-year-old gran of the other family.
The trial heard there was growing hostility between the relatives of the happy couple throughout what should have been a fun family get-together.
Light-hearted games such as ‘Baby Bingo’ were ruined by offensive comments fired back and forward across the hall and the bad feeling escalated to violence outside the hall.
Sarah Wilson’s solicitor Stephen Morrison said, “This was a baby shower celebration that turned sour for one reason or another.
“She absolutely regrets the incident and she hadn’t been drinking that day.
“She continues to have a relationship with her daughter’s partner but not with the rest of his family.
“There’s no reason to believe there will be a repetition of this behaviour as she’s not likely to put herself into another family situation like this.”
The solicitor conceded Wilson had two previous convictions for analogous offences and that one of these in particular was “not insignificant”.
Sheriff Susan Duff recalled that Wilson had only submitted her guilty plea after the other mum, Pamela Ritchie, had given evidence.
“Mrs Ritchie’s evidence was that she was left with a bald section on her head as a chunk of hair had been pulled out,” added the sheriff.
She told Wilson, “I do not accept your account to the social worker as to what happened.”
The sheriff ordered £500 compensation to be paid to the victim and she was unimpressed by Wilson’s reaction in the dock.
She told Mr Morrison that Wilson would have to return to court to make sure the money had been paid, adding, “Your client’s face said an awful lot about what she thought of the sentence.”
Wilson will be back in court on 5th November.
Chardonnay Wilson, also from Kirkcaldy, was previously found guilty of a charge that she assaulted the gran by attempting to seize her essential nasogastric feeding tube.
In her evidence, Chardonnay Wilson told the court the event had started at 1pm and was a baby shower for her sister Chantelle, ahead of the birth of her daughter, which occurred a fortnight later.
She said the two families were sitting at different tables and “at first it was fine”.
However, bad feeling began to escalate after a game called ‘Would Mummy Rather’.
She explained that there was a question, “would mummy rather put a bottle on for the baby or open a bottle of wine”.
She said someone from the dad-to-be’s family shouted out that the new mum would open a bottle of wine.
“Chantelle got upset and everything started to escalate from there,” she said.
She described how her mum and the other mother were “arguing back and forward”.
“My mum told her they could speak any other day but not to spoil the occasion,” she added.
The court was told there was more arguing during a game of ‘Baby Bingo’ and allegations about various sexual comments being heard.
There were then claims about an abusive comment ‘F****** fools”, aimed at the Wilsons, being written on a paper plate.
Chardonnay Wilson said she had also written a good wishes message in the baby book and someone had ripped it out.
Although found guilty, Sheriff Duff granted Chardonnay Wilson an absolute discharge as a conviction on her record would have ended her career as a carer for elderly and vulnerable people.
