Acid attack victim tells
of suicidal thoughts as
‘evil’ ex-friend jailed

Business student Mary Konye, 22, of Camden Town, disguised herself in a Muslim veil before throwing sulphuric acid at shop assistant Naomi Oni after following her home from work.

Ms Oni, 22, was left scarred for life with serious burns on her face and chest in 2012.

Judge David Radford, who sentenced Konye to 12 years at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court, said the consequences of her “wicked act have been devastating to Ms Oni”.

Konye, who was convicted in January, showed no reaction as she was sentenced.

Ms Oni, who did not attend the sentencing, said she was now “paranoid and scared” about being outdoors alone and admitted having suicidal thoughts.

In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Gareth Patterson, the victim said that, before the attack, she was a “confident” young woman with a job she enjoyed.

“All this changed that day I was struck with acid and my life was turned upside down,” she said.

Ms Oni, who was almost blinded in one eye, faces further reconstructive surgery and must wear a silicon face mask. She said: “I sometimes cry when I’m alone. At times I felt suicidal and thought about ending it all.”

Ms Oni added she regretted ever being friends with Konye and that the attack was the act of an “evil, wicked person”.

The pair, who had been friends since secondary school, fell out in April 2011 when Ms Oni accused Konye of texting her boyfriend and called her an ‘’ugly monster’’.

Her lawyer Sally O’Neill QC said that Konye was an “immature 22-year-old” with a possible personality disorder and had been threatened in prison by other inmates while awaiting sentencing.