The victim of an acid attack which left her scarred for life has spoken of her terror as she thought someone was trying to kill her.
Naomi Oni, 21, told Snaresbrook Crown Court she had been working the evening shift from 7.30pm to 11.30pm at Victoria’s Secret, Westfield Stratford City and left work with her colleagues.
Ms Oni only noticed a “presence” following her as she turned into Bromhall Road, Dagenham, where the attack took place.
Student Mary Konye, 21, of Throckmorton Road, Canning Town, is accused of throwing acid into her friend’s face and the court heard she had later posted a picture of horror film character Freddie Krueger on a social messaging site after the alleged attack.
The court was told Konye had taken offence at an insult made by Ms Oni about her looking like a disfigured character from the cannibal horror film Wrong Turn.
Both women had also followed the case of model Katie Piper who was left permanently disfigured after a sulphuric acid attack in 2008.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson said that after the attack near Ms Oni’s home in the early hours of December 30, 2012, Konye used messaging service Whatsapp to post a picture of the Freddie Krueger character along with the caption: “Who looks like Wrong Turn now?” Jurors also heard that Konye claims Ms Oni threw the acid into her own face.
The court was told that Ms Oni was on the phone to her boyfriend as she walked home when she was doused with concentrated sulphuric acid.
“She screamed and felt her face burning – she could smell her skin and hair burning and immediately started running home,” Mr Patterson told the court.
“Her mother opened the door and found her daughter screaming hysterically.”
Giving evidence Ms Oni said: “I felt a presence. I turned to my left and there I saw someone in black attire, a black niqab. I remember it facing me and staring directly looking at me. It was long and black and covered and I could only see the eyes – the face wasn’t visible.
“I just thought I just wanted to cross the road and get home. I looked both ways and as I turned my head I felt a massive splash on my face. I immediately felt like somebody was trying to kill me and so my instinct was to run as fast as I could to get home – and that is what I did.”
Jurors heard how that Konye and Ms Oni, who had known each other since secondary school, would constantly argue and fall out.
Konye denies the charge of applying corrosive fluid with intent to disfigure, maim or cause grievous bodily harm.
The trial continues.
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