A man was given a 17-year prison sentence in Northern Ireland today for killing a young woman fresh from detoxication treatment after beating her up and gluing her lips together to stifle her screams.
The defendant, 28-year-old Adrian Hayes, had lured 21-year-old Julie Tennant to his home after promising her drugs.
It was not clear why Hayes began punching her but the court at Ballymena heard that "he wanted to keep her quiet because it was 'doing his head in'."
"In this hideous fashion you ended the life of an unfortunate and tragic young woman," the Ballymena court's presiding judge said handing down his sentence.
Hayes denied having made any sexual advances but his victim was found half naked.
A neighbor told the court he had heard muffled cries coming from Hayes' home as if coming from an animal.
After glueing Tennant's lips together, Hayes fell asleep. The woman died of injuries suffered in the assault.
Hayes hid the woman's body in a garden shed and later buried her in an isolated area.
An uncle in whom he had confided after the killing tipped off police.
AFP