Scott Wilson, Gail Arthur, and Erin Kilner: Plead guilty to violent Bendigo assault

It started after a friendly encounter on a night out. It ended with a terrified woman being dragged by her hair into a car over a stolen watch.

Three Bendigo thugs have pleaded guilty to a swag of charges including assault after they hunted down and bashed their terrified their victim over a stolen watch.

Scott Wilson, 50, Gail Arthur, 44, and Erin Kilner, 27, all pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday after they were charged with offences relating to the assault of the victim in Bendigo last year.

In January 2021 the court heard that Arthur met up with the victim socially before the pair went to Wilson’s Bendigo hotel room.

Later that evening Wilson noticed that property belonging to him and to Arthur was missing. The missing property included a gold watch.

The victim had been alone in the hotel room, prompting Arthur to message her telling her that she wanted “her stuff back now”. The victim denied having stolen anything from Wilson or Arthur.

“I’ll find you,” Arthur texted the victim.

It was discovered by Wilson that the watch had been sold by the victim to another male in exchange for drugs.

The next day Wilson contacted Kilner asking for “help”.

“Need your help now or become an enemy,” he texted her.

The three all got into the same car and drove to the residence of the victim where they bashed on her door and demanded to be let in.

Wilson was heard yelling “come here b****” to the victim.

The victim was then dragged by her hair into the accused’s car where they drove to the property of the man the victim sold the watch to.

At this property Wilson demanded the man give his watch back before he and the other accused continued to assault the victim who, the court heard, was “cowering” and “pleading” for the accused to stop.

The victim was pushed out of the car before all three accused went home.

A few days later Arthur and Wilson were arrested where a search of Arthur’s phone revealed evidence that she was trafficking GHB.

Kilner was arrested a few days after the other two accused.

Wilson plead guilty to one charge of recklessly causing injury, one charge of false imprisonment and one charge of threat to kill.

Arthur plead guilty to one charge of common assault, one charge of false imprisonment and one charge of trafficking a drug of dependence.

Kilner plead guilty to one charge of common assault, one charge of false imprisonment and one charge of committing an offence on bail

They will reappear in court this month for sentencing.