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Man, 80, accused over acid attack on ex-partner, 20
A young care worker has described how she suffered disfiguring burns to her face and neck in an acid attack allegedly orchestrated by her former partner, who was 60 years her senior.
Vikki Horsman, 20, told a jury she screamed in pain and glimpsed her blistering face and neck in a mirror as she stumbled back from the doorstep after the assault before dousing her face with cold water from the kitchen tap.
Horsman said the acid, which she claimed was thrown by a man wearing a hood and a bandana as a mask, caused "instant burning, piercing pain".
The prosecution claims Horsman's former partner, 80-year-old Mohammed Rafiq, planned the attack with 25-year-old Steven Holmes, who allegedly carried it out, and a third man, Shannon Heaps, 23. All three deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
It is alleged that the assault at a house in Tividale, West Midlands, took place in April after Horsman split up with Rafiq because she saw him as controlling and jealous.
Wolverhampton crown court heard that Horsman began to rely on Rafiq after her parents died. He bought her a car but she said he began to accuse her of cheating on him and put pressure on her to convert to Islam and change her name to Aleena Rafiq. Asked by Anthony Warner, prosecuting, if she had been happy to convert, Horsman replied: "Not particularly."
Early this year, she said, Rafiq, of Smethwick, West Midlands, went through her personal belongings and she decided to end their relationship. Asked how Rafiq had taken the news, she said: "He got very angry. He still thought we were in a relationship even though I had ended things."
Rafiq allegedly went to see her at the house where the attack took place a few minutes beforehand. She was going to get some sleep before starting a night shift as a healthcare assistant when she heard a knock at the door.
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It is alleged that Rafiq told her it was "a man for you", but as she opened the front door she was confronted by a figure "in a grey hoodie, a bandana over his face and his hood up". She claimed the man said her name and threw a black liquid at her. "I just started screaming because of the burning," Horsman told the jury. She said she remembered seeing Rafiq standing by the living room window as she reeled away.
Horsman was in intensive care for five days and underwent specialist surgery to her face, neck, shoulders and upper leg for deep burns. She will need treatment for many years.
The prosecution claims witnesses and mobile phone evidence will prove Rafiq spoke with and met both Heaps, from Tividale, and Holmes, from Smethwick, in the hours before the attack. A man who was present during a meeting between the three allegedly heard Rafiq tell Holmes he wanted a "gift" delivered to a girlfriend. It is claimed that Rafiq handed Holmes a carrier bag containing the acid.
The jury also heard from Kerry Stevens, 35, who claimed she had been in a four-year sexual relationship with Rafiq that started when she was 16.
Stevens said Rafiq was angry when Horsman insisted their relationship was over, but she told him to accept it had ended, saying to him: "You've got grandchildren older than her – let her get on with her life." The trial continues.
Man, 80, accused over acid attack on ex-partner, 20 | UK news | The Guardian
A young care worker has described how she suffered disfiguring burns to her face and neck in an acid attack allegedly orchestrated by her former partner, who was 60 years her senior.
Vikki Horsman, 20, told a jury she screamed in pain and glimpsed her blistering face and neck in a mirror as she stumbled back from the doorstep after the assault before dousing her face with cold water from the kitchen tap.
Horsman said the acid, which she claimed was thrown by a man wearing a hood and a bandana as a mask, caused "instant burning, piercing pain".
The prosecution claims Horsman's former partner, 80-year-old Mohammed Rafiq, planned the attack with 25-year-old Steven Holmes, who allegedly carried it out, and a third man, Shannon Heaps, 23. All three deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
It is alleged that the assault at a house in Tividale, West Midlands, took place in April after Horsman split up with Rafiq because she saw him as controlling and jealous.
Wolverhampton crown court heard that Horsman began to rely on Rafiq after her parents died. He bought her a car but she said he began to accuse her of cheating on him and put pressure on her to convert to Islam and change her name to Aleena Rafiq. Asked by Anthony Warner, prosecuting, if she had been happy to convert, Horsman replied: "Not particularly."
Early this year, she said, Rafiq, of Smethwick, West Midlands, went through her personal belongings and she decided to end their relationship. Asked how Rafiq had taken the news, she said: "He got very angry. He still thought we were in a relationship even though I had ended things."
Rafiq allegedly went to see her at the house where the attack took place a few minutes beforehand. She was going to get some sleep before starting a night shift as a healthcare assistant when she heard a knock at the door.
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It is alleged that Rafiq told her it was "a man for you", but as she opened the front door she was confronted by a figure "in a grey hoodie, a bandana over his face and his hood up". She claimed the man said her name and threw a black liquid at her. "I just started screaming because of the burning," Horsman told the jury. She said she remembered seeing Rafiq standing by the living room window as she reeled away.
Horsman was in intensive care for five days and underwent specialist surgery to her face, neck, shoulders and upper leg for deep burns. She will need treatment for many years.
The prosecution claims witnesses and mobile phone evidence will prove Rafiq spoke with and met both Heaps, from Tividale, and Holmes, from Smethwick, in the hours before the attack. A man who was present during a meeting between the three allegedly heard Rafiq tell Holmes he wanted a "gift" delivered to a girlfriend. It is claimed that Rafiq handed Holmes a carrier bag containing the acid.
The jury also heard from Kerry Stevens, 35, who claimed she had been in a four-year sexual relationship with Rafiq that started when she was 16.
Stevens said Rafiq was angry when Horsman insisted their relationship was over, but she told him to accept it had ended, saying to him: "You've got grandchildren older than her – let her get on with her life." The trial continues.
Man, 80, accused over acid attack on ex-partner, 20 | UK news | The Guardian