Who is Berlinah Wallace? Woman jailed for acid attack on Mark van Dongen
ACID attack maniac Berlinah Wallace was described by a judge as a “sadist” who carried out an “act of pure evil”.
Here is everything you need to know about the fiend who researched on the internet the catastrophic injuries she wanted to inflict.
Who is Berlinah Wallace?
Berlinah Wallace is a 48-year-old South African fashion student who tipped sulphuric acid over her ex-lover Mark Van Dongen, 29, after the couple split up and he started seeing someone else.
Bristol Crown Court heard Wallace confiscated the 6ft 5in engineer's passport and used his £300-per-day wages to bankroll herself and her family in South Africa.
She repeatedly injured herself and threatened to tell police Mr van Dongen had caused the injuries if he ever tried to leave her.
On at least one occasion, she poured boiling water on him.
Following their separation she made 14 silent phone calls to his new girlfriend, Violet Farquharson.
How did she attack Mark van Dongen?
She purchased a litre of 98 per cent sulphuric acid on Amazon for £17.07 and spent days researching what it would do.
Investigations showed she had searched for images of acid attack victims on Google.
Wallace threw the liquid over the engineer as he slept in bed at her flat in Westbury Park, Bristol, in September 2015, and laughed as she told him: "If I can't have you, no-one else can."
The 29-year-old was left in a coma for four months, suffered extensive burns to his body, was left blind in one eye, paralysed from the neck down and had to have his lower left leg amputated.
He died by euthanasia at a hospital in Belgium on January 2 2017
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What was the outcome of her trial?
She was charged with murder after Mark died by euthanasia, choosing to end his life in a clinic in Belgium due to the extent of his injuries, 15 months after the attack.
A jury acquitted her of murder and convicted her of applying a corrosive fluid with intent.
Dutch-born Mark was left paralysed and only able to move his tongue, had to have his left leg amputated and suffered 25 per cent burns.
She was jailed for life with a minimum of twelve years at Bristol Crown Court - minus the 972 days already served.
Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said she had chosen not to help Mr van Dongen as he lay injured and had told "lie upon lie" to put the blame for the attack on him.
Mark died on January 3, 2017, after the application was approved by three consultants who decided he met the criteria of "unbearable physical and psychological suffering''.
The judge told the South African: "Your intention was to burn, disfigure and disable Mark van Dongen so that he would not be attractive to any other woman.
"It was an act of pure evil."
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