Naomi Oni was on her
way home from work when she was attacked by Mary Konye
`
A woman who threw acid in the face of a friend while wearing a veil
as a disguise has been jailed for 12 years.
Naomi Oni, 22, suffered burns to her face and chest in the attack near
her home in Dagenham, east London, in December 2012.
Mary Konye, 22, of Canning Town, attacked her because she had once
called her ugly, her trial was told.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Oni said she had at times felt suicidal
since the attack due to her appearance.
Judge David Radford told Konye the consequences of her
"deliberate" and "wicked act have been devastating to Miss
Oni".
It was a "premeditated and callous" plan to "burn and
disfigure" her victim, he added.
'Paranoid and scared'
CCTV footage captured Konye, who was found guilty in January, secretly
following the Victoria's Secret shop assistant home from from work while
wearing a veil.
Ms Oni needed skin grafts and has suffered permanent scars to her leg,
chest, stomach and arms and was almost blinded in one eye.
She must wear a silicon face mask and faces further reconstructive
surgery.
Mary Konye wore a veil while following her victim home from work
In the
impact statement, read to the court by prosecutor Gareth Patterson, Ms Oni said
she found it very difficult to live with her physical appearance and was now
"paranoid and scared" about being outdoors alone.
Before the attack, Ms Oni said,
she was a "confident" young woman.
"All this changed that day I
was struck with acid and my life was turned upside down," she said. She
added it was now a "battle to get by each day".
Ms Oni said: "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. At times I felt suicidal and thought about
ending it all."
It was her mother who had kept
her going, she said.
"I feel paranoid and scared
going out alone," she said. "I'm still scared of being attacked
again."
On being attacked by someone who
had been a friend since secondary school, Ms Oni said: "It was bad enough
believing it was a random attack. Knowing Mary planned this is beyond belief.
"I don't trust people in the
same way anymore."
Konye's lawyer Sally O'Neill QC
told the court she had admitted throwing the acid since her conviction but
claims 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," the lawyer said.
Culled from: BBC UK
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