Acid attacker Mary Konye was “lovely in school” and came from a “very humble” family, a former teacher has said.

The woman, a neighbour of Konye’s who did not want to be named, taught Konye when she was a pupil at St Joachim’s Catholic Primary School in Custom House said she had been shocked to hear the verdict.

“She was lovely in school. I have nothing bad to say about the whole family,” she said.

“They are very humble and lovely, so it was a real shock.

“I would never have thought something like this would happen.”

Another neighbour in Throckmorton Road, Canning Town – who did not want to be named – said: “I can’t understand what goes through the mind of somebody who would do that.

“Hopefully the people in power will do what they should do and put her away for a long time.”

Konye will be sentenced for the Dagenham attack on Naomi Oni on March 7. Judge David Radford yesterday told her to expect a substantial custodial sentence.