A woman who duped her friend into sex using a blindfold and a fake penis is set to appeal her conviction and sentence today. The case of Gayle Newland made global headlines during one of the most bizarre criminal trials in recent times. The 25-year-old former University of Chester student, of Hooton Road in Willaston, Wirral, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault after a jury heard she created a web of lies to seduce the victim. But Newland was granted leave to take her conviction and eight year prison sentence to the Court of Appeal.