A woman awaiting trial for murder has been convicted of assaulting another inmate at Halifax’s Burnside Jail. The incident involved more than 33 punches, kicks, and knees to the head of the victim, who was referred to as "Crime Stoppers" by fellow inmates due to suspicions that she was a police informant.

The altercation occurred in the jail's airing yard and began with a handshake. Pamela Hubley, a left-handed inmate, extended her right hand to Carolyn Ann Dermody. This gesture led Dermody to throw the first punches, which the judge deemed were in self-defense, anticipating an attack from Hubley’s dominant left hand. The fight was recorded on surveillance cameras.

After the initial punches, Dermody unleashed a flurry of 22 strikes on Hubley within seconds. Judge Timothy Daley noted that the fight quickly escalated from self-defense to a display of "aggression, dominance, and vengeance." He described how Dermody delivered multiple uppercuts while holding Hubley’s sweatshirt and struck her repeatedly on the back of the head using a technique known as a "hammer fist."

Hubley fell to her knees, attempting to shield herself with her hands. Dermody continued the assault, landing 11 additional punches to Hubley’s face and back of the head, along with kicks and knee strikes. On October 24, Dermody was convicted of assault causing bodily harm for the attack that took place in April 2024.

The motive behind the assault stemmed from the belief that Hubley was a snitch. Judge Daley accepted Dermody's testimony that she and others thought Hubley was an undercover police officer or a "rat" who gathered information about inmates. "I find that this was at least part of the motive which became paramount soon after the altercation began," Daley wrote.

Hubley, 40, described her pain after the incident as a "10 out of 10" and reported shaking from the severity of her injuries. The judge noted that Hubley did not fight back during the altercation, remaining face down throughout.

Paramedics transported Hubley to the hospital, where a doctor found significant bruising and swelling on her face, along with blurry vision and shoulder pain. Hubley testified that she and Dermody had been incarcerated together for about two weeks prior to the fight. Dermody characterized their interactions as "hit and miss," with Hubley displaying behavior that ranged from friendly to intimidating.

Dermody claimed that Hubley had been trying to gather information about her charges, leading to her nickname within the jail. "(Dermody) was very clear that she and others believe that Hubley was an undercover cop, or at least a rat, and that this was unacceptable to anyone in the facility," the judge noted.

Dermody, 27, is also facing murder charges in connection with the death of 48-year-old Natacha Leroy, a mother of six, in Big Bras d’Or on November 22, 2023. She is scheduled to be sentenced for the jail assault on January 26, 2026, with her murder trial set to begin on March 30, 2026, in Sydney Supreme Court.