3 men jailed for brutal brawl after girl's eyebrows were shaved at party

Three men, who were responsible for a massive brawl at a Broadstairs home after a young girl's eyebrows were shaved at a party, have been jailed.

Ian McGill and his son Charlie and Colin Harper were sent to jail on Friday, 8 December, for using physical violence and "beating up a party of young people and smashing a home to smithereens". Ian was given three years in prison, while Charlie and Harper received 18 months each in a young offenders' institution for affray and criminal damage.

The trio had pleaded not guilty to the charges but were convicted after a trial, KentLive reported.

The Canterbury Crown Court heard the incident happened on 4 June, 2016 when a young girl, whose name and age have not been disclosed, went to a party and fell asleep there. It was then that her eyebrows were shaved, causing her to be "very upset". However, it was not clear who shaved the eyebrows.

The incident led to a massive brawl after the three men – aged 49, 20 and 20 – went to the party venue and "brutally attacked the children and destroyed" the home.

While sentencing the men, Judge James O'Mahony said the attack was a "massive overreaction". He called it a "brutal act" and said: "There was a party at Broadstairs and Ian McGill, and Charlie McGill, with Conor Harper stupidly joining in, went to the house of one of the people concerned to teach them a brutal lesson.

"Ian McGill had a knife and threatened to cut off the finger of a young boy. It was a frightening incident and an invasion of a home in the early hours and causing great damage."

During the hearing, the judge specifically pointed towards Ian, saying being the oldest he should have handled the matter maturely. "Ian McGill, you were older but you drove the car there, instead of saying 'hold on, let's handle this some other way. The young girl's eyebrows were shaved which caused her to be very upset, but it was a massive overreaction," he added.

Judge O'Mahony also dismissed the trio's claim that people were taking LSD drug at the party. He said: "You tried to lie your way out of it. You said there was LSD being taken at the party but I completely reject (that)."

The sentencing has reportedly left the family members of the three in shock. But the owner of the house, where the brawl erupted, was happy with the verdict.

"I am so relieved it is over. The judge was outstanding and told them off for what they were. My son was in the upstairs bedroom when one of the boys ran up to tell him they would kill him if he didn't hide. My son jumped out from the first floor window in fear, knocking his teeth out," the mother-of-one said.

She added: "At least three children jumped out of the window while another boy had a knife put to his fingers. They nearly destroyed my house and caused nearly £8,000 ($10,712) worth of damage. My living room was smashed to pieces and there was blood everywhere."