A woman who was scarred for life in an
acid attack has spoken of her agony today after her student attacker
was jailed for 12 years.
Victoria's
Secret worker Naomi Oni, 22, suffered serious burns to her face and
chest after her friend, Mary Konye, 22, disguised herself in a niqab to
carry out the attack in Dagenham, east london, on December 30 2012.
Miss Oni said today: 'I'm reminded what I look like every day I look in the mirror or see the reaction on people's faces. The
whole traumatic experience has changed my life. I initially felt angry
and hurt. All sorts of things kept going through my mind.
'I sometimes cry when I'm alone. At times I felt suicidal and thought about ending it all.'
Mary Konye (left) was sentenced at Snaresbrook
Crown Court today as a result of the attack last year that left Naomi
Oni with horrific burns
Solicitor Mitesh Patel today reads a statement on behalf of the victim outside the court alongside Marriam Oni, Naomi's mother
Marriam Oni covers her eyes following the sentence of Konye who threw acid in her daughter's face
Konye, who hurled acid into the face of
her friend because she was jealous of her looks, was sentenced at
Snaresbrook Crown Court in London today.
The
pair fell out when Miss Oni found out Konye had been texting her
boyfriend and described her as looking like a hideous cannibal character
from the film 'Wrong Turn.'
Judge
David Radford, who sentenced Konye to 12 years today, said the
consequences of her 'callous', 'deliberate' and 'wicked' act have been
devastating to Miss Oni.
He added that it was a 'premeditated and callous' plan to 'burn and disfigure' the victim. Konye was convicted in January.
In
a statement read to the court by prosecutor Gareth Patterson, Miss Oni
said was now 'paranoid and scared' about being outdoors alone.
'All this changed that day I was struck with acid and my life was turned upside down,' she said.
It was now a 'battle to get by each day' after being permanently disfigured, she added.
Miss Oni said she had suffered permanent scars to her leg, chest, stomach and arms and was almost blinded in one eye.'
She faces further reconstructive surgery and must wear a silicon face mask which makes it difficult to breathe, the court heard.
CCTV footage: Konye followed Ms Oni at Barking Station before unleashing the attack last December
He added that it was a 'premeditated and callous' plan to 'burn and disfigure' the victim.
'This
careful, premeditated criminality was planned against a person who
reasonably believed you were a true friend,' Judge Radford said.
The
judge said Konye had been 'deliberately untruthful' during the trial
after she admitted throwing the acid following her conviction.
A letter of remorse she had since written was 'utterly belated', he added.
Mr Radford said Ms Oni's life had been 'ruined' along with her trust in friends.
'Her friendship had been so wilfully betrayed by you,' he said.
Miss
Oni said in a statement through her solicitor Mitesh Patel: 'My
attacker's sentence will end but I will have to live with my injuries
and disabilities for the rest of my life.
'My family and I have had to put up with false allegation that have done this to myself.
'Its been truly devastating and has even resulted in people distancing themselves from me in my hour of need.
Before the attack: In a statement read to the
court, Ms Oni described how she sometimes felt suicidal after the
horrifying incident
'Almost
every aspect of my life has had adverse effects. It is important that I
thank my mother and my family and all the people who have written me
kind letters of support.'
DCI
Dave Whellam said: 'The court recognised the extent of injury and the
trauma it has caused the victim and we are very pleased.'
Konye,
who was convicted in January, looked straight ahead in the dock and showed no reaction when she was sentenced.
'My attacker's sentence will end but I will have to live with my injuries and disabilities for the rest of my life'
Naomi Oni, victim
She originally claimed Miss Oni
had burnt herself with acid because she wanted the 'fame and fortune'
of Katie Piper, a model who was attacked in a similar way by a former
boyfriend.
Miss Oni
said business student Konye was 'obsessed' with her, attempting to steal
her boyfriend before deciding to 'destroy her'.
Shortly
before Miss Oni reached her home in Dagenham, Konye doused her with
concentrated sulphuric acid, leaving her scarred for life.
CCTV
footage obtained by police after the attack showed Konye in a niqab
following her as she left at the lingerie shop at around 11.30pm on the
night of the incident.
Miss
Oni suffered serious burns to her face and chest, lost her hair and
eyelashes, and required skin graft surgery to cover the burns.
Giving evidence Miss Oni described how, on her way home, she got off at her bus
stop in Dagenham and felt a ‘presence’ before turning to
see someone in a niqab.
Scars: The injuries inflicted on by Ms Oni she says have 'turned her life upside down'
She
then felt a ‘massive splash’ as the acid was thrown at her, disfiguring her face, dissolving her hair and eyelashes
and burning her tongue as she screamed.
Konye's
lawyer Sally O'Neill QC told the court Konye has since admitted
throwing the acid following her conviction but maintained she did not
intend to cause injury to Ms Oni's face.
'The reason for this incident will always be shrouded in some doubt and mystery," Ms O'Neill said.
She
added that Konye was an 'immature 22-year-old' with a possible
personality disorder and had been threatened by other inmates while in
prison awaiting sentencing.
Devastated: Miss Oni said she 'broke down' after removing her bandages following surgery
During the trial, Miss Oni
said in court: ‘I just had my bandages removed and it was the first time
I saw my face after surgery and I broke down and I had spoken to Mary
that night and I was crying on the phone to her and she was on the
phone to me telling me, “don’t worry, you’ll be OK”.’
She added: ‘I was still on the
phone to my boyfriend and I felt a presence. I turned to my left and I
saw someone and a black abaya [cloak] or a black niqab.
‘I remember it facing me, staring. A presence directly looking at me. All I could see was eyes.’
She then said she felt the splash as the acid was thrown in her face and ran home shouting ‘acid, acid’.
She said: ‘I immediately felt that someone was trying to kill me and so my instinct was to run as fast as I could to get home.
‘I
felt, it wasn’t burning, it was a dissolving type of sensation. It was
on my face and I remember, as I had my mouth open screaming, it burnt
my tongue.’
Mary Konye
was born on 20 February 1992 in Newham, east London. Her father died
when she was just two, leaving her mother a single parent looking after
her only child.
She
gained eight GCSEs before studying for A-Levels in Sociology, Media,
Business and Psychology at St Angela's Ursuline School, a Catholic
secondary school for girls in Forest Gate.
She
spent another year at Southgate College doing A-Level retakes before
winning a place at the University of Hertfordshire, studied accounting
and finance in business.
CCTV image of Konye (in the foreground) trailing
Miss Oni. She hurled the acid in her face shortly before arriving at
her home in Dagenham
On the night of the attack, Miss Oni said she
felt a 'massive splash' as the acid was thrown at her, disfiguring her
face, dissolving her hair and eyelashes and burning her tongue as she
screamed
No comments:
Post a Comment