Tividale acid 'revenge' victim tells of attack by masked man
A woman has told a court how a hooded man wearing a bandana doused her in corrosive acid in a revenge attack.
Vikki Horsman, 20, felt an "instant burning, piercing pain" after the attack at a house in Tividale, West Midlands, in April, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Her former lover Mohammed Rafiq, 80, of Cheshire Road, Smethwick, is accused of plotting the attack with two other men.
He denies inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
Ms Horsman described the breakdown of her relationship with Mr Rafiq, who she had been with since she was 18.
She told the court Mr Rafiq, who she had known for six years, had bought her a car but became "very controlling".
"He often accused me of cheating on him," she said.
Ms Horsman said he had put pressure on her to convert to Islam, which she did in November 2013.
Anthony Warner, prosecuting, asked if she had done so willingly, and she replied "not particularly".
The court heard she decided to end their relationship when Mr Rafiq went through her personal belongings early in 2014.
"He got very angry. He still thought we were in a relationship even though I had ended things," she said.
She told jurors that on the night of the attack Mr Rafiq had been with her at a friend's house dog-sitting and she was going to get some sleep ahead of a night shift as a healthcare assistant.
'Screaming' in pain
Ms Horsman said she heard a knock at the door while taking out her contact lenses upstairs and Mr Rafiq told her it was a "man for you".
But when she opened the door she saw a man with a bandana over his face and his hood up, it was said.
"I could just see his eyes," she said. "He said 'Vikki' - then this substance was thrown at me. I just started screaming because of the burning".
Prosecutors allege Mr Rafiq planned the attack with Shannon Heaps, 23 while Steven Holmes, 25, carried out the attack in the porch of the house.
Mr Heaps, of Queens Avenue, Tividale, and Steven Holmes, of Allan Close, Smethwick, also deny inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
Mr Rafiq also denies perverting the course of justice.
The trial, expected to last up to three weeks, continues.