Woman guilty over 'naked slave'
Friday, 8 September 2006, 16:58 GMT
A mother-of-six from York has been found guilty of beating her former sister-in-law and keeping her as a domestic slave.
Antonia Pearson-Gaballonie, 36, of New Lane, Acomb, denied false imprisonment, making threats to kill and assault.
During a two-year period she beat Veronica Sandeman, 26, and forced her to work naked, York Crown Court heard.
Her husband Neil Pearson, 35, of the same address, was convicted of aiding and abetting her to commit an assault.
The Recorder of York, Paul Hoffman, told both defendants they would be going to prison when they were sentenced in November.
The jury heard Pearson-Gaballonie had been previously married to Miss Sandeman's brother.
She forced her to clean the house naked, made her beg for food and stopped her from contacting her parents.
She also claimed £10,000 of disability benefits on behalf of her victim
The court heard she claimed £31 each week on her behalf between 1997 and 2005 but insisted the money would have been readily available if Miss Sandeman had asked for it.
Pearson-Gaballonie did not appear in the dock during the trial as she took an overdose of drugs before it began on Monday and needed hospital treatment.
Explaining her absence to the jury after it returned unanimous guilty verdicts, the judge said: "She had deliberately taken an overdose in order to avoid this trial."
Pearson-Gaballonie, who was arrested on warrant on Friday morning at Bootham Hospital, was then brought into court and stood in the dock with five guards.
