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TV presenter disfigured by acid revenge of stalker
AN obsessed fan beat a TV presenter before arranging an acid attack that left her permanently disfigured, a court heard.
Danny Lynch used to watch the victim's shows and contacted her through her Facebook site. They met and had a brief relationship.
But the 24-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, quickly became aware of his controlling behaviour and violent mood swings, a jury was told.
Details of the horrific attack can only now be reported following an unrelated court hearing.
The victim, who has undergone a dozen operations since the acid attack, told Wood Green Crown Court, London, at first she enjoyed the attention, but then realised he was obsessed with her.
She said: "At the time I just thought I'd met a guy who would never cheat on me...I would have never thought in a million years that he would have harmed me. He put me on a pedestal...he ended up resenting me."
Fuelled by steroids, Lynch attacked her in a London hotel room in March when he realised the relationship was breaking down, fewer than two weeks after they first met.
It was claimed he threatened her with a razor blade and told her he would hang her, repeatedly saying he would kill them both.
The victim said: "I just felt that it was the worst situation I had ever been in and I just didn't know what was going to happen next...It was like being tortured all night."
She was too frightened to report the incident and Lynch, 32, bombarded her with messages, warning her of dire consequences if she told anyone.
Telling her he had a present for her, he instructed another man to throw sulphuric acid in her face when she finally left her flat three days later.
She described the pain as like "burning alive" and said: "It was like someone had pushed my head on a grill. The pain was so unreal."
Stefan Sylvestre, 20, of Australia Road, Shepherd's Bush, London, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH) at a separate hearing.
Lynch, of Becklow Gardens, Shepherd's Bush, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm for the hotel room attack at a previous hearing. He will be sentenced later. A jury convicted him last month of GBH for the acid attack. It failed to reach a verdict on a separate charge of raping the woman.
Richard Milne, prosecuting, said Lynch was out for revenge and in a "sickening attempt to ruin and wreck her life".
He said: "He intended to permanently disfigure her. He succeeded. It was a jealous, vengeful and ruthless attack."
The court heard she was not aware of Lynch's troubled past, which included being referred to a psychiatrist at the age of four and anger issues. He would also "flip at a moment's notice from pleasant to deeply unpleasant" towards targets including shop assistants and barbers.
The victim said she was lucky to be alive, adding: "I didn't deserve any of this. I was so kind to you, I wanted to help you.
"I think you are dangerous and are going to end up killing a woman one day."
She added: "I feel as though he pursued me on purpose...and I feel like he planned it all."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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