Silicone injected into the buttocks
But Marilyn Ely Reid, the court heard, did not actually know what she was doing when she injected the butts of these women with an industrial silicone oil. All but one of the women injected with the silicone by Reid became ill, and four are known to have become so sick they almost died.
Last month Reid, 50, pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated assault for the injections.
Her defence lawyer, Calvin Barry, said the woman has suffered enough, and not just because she spent two-and-a-half years in jail awaiting her trial but also because her life situation deteriorated while she was in custody. Barry also said that any injury his client caused was unintentional.
“In her mind, she wasn’t going to hurt anyone,” Barry said. “She wanted to make people happy. Time served is more than adequate. She’s broken. Her life is ruined.”
The Crown feels differently and has asked the judge to issue a strong deterrent of between 10 and 12 years. Crown lawyer Allison MacPherson said the crime was well-thought out.
“She assured them that everything was going to be OK (and that) she knew what she was doing,” MacPherson told the court. “She was harming people to make money.”
Illegal butt enhancements
Reid, a trained nurse from the U.K., injected the women with a caulking gun that had syringes attached, telling one that she would soon after have a “nice plump bum.” But, like others, that woman instead became ill. Over the 13-month period from April 2012 to May 2013, Reid injected silicone oil into women in hotel rooms and even the homes of the women. She did not sterilize her needles properly.
Illegal butt enhancements of the type administered by Reid can lead to fatal results. Three years ago in Florida, Shatarka Nuby died of what an assistant medical examiner called “massive systemic silicone migration” following butt enhancement injections. The woman who injected her has been charged.
These illegal procedures are not to be confused with legal buttocks enhancing procedures. Legal butt enhancements are offered by plastic surgeons and consist of taking fat from the tummy and other areas and transferring it into the butt. The procedure has become big business in California.
Before Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly adjourned the court until sentencing on March 26, Reid issued an apology to the courtroom. “I never meant to harm anyone,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
