Woman jailed for seven years for Dubai acid attack

The victim was blinded, disfigured and left with restricted movement in the neck, shoulders and wrists

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A woman who blinded and disfigured a friend after throwing acid in her face has been sentenced to seven years in jail. 

The Kenyan defendant, 30, was found guilty of assault after she emptied a two-litre bottle of acid on her compatriot, 48, on the afternoon of March 21.

A medical report said the victim had been blinded, disfigured and left with restricted movement in the neck, shoulders and wrists due to the attack.

In court last month, the accused denied a charge of physical assault and causing injuries to a man who was sitting near to the victim during the attack and who was splashed with acid.

The victim had been visiting a friend in Al Satwa in Dubai to collect a pair of shoes she had previously left at his apartment. 

"I wanted to use the toilet before I left, but my friend told me that his roommate was using it so I waited," she said.

She sat next to her friend, who was using his laptop, waiting to use the toilet when the accused stormed into the room carrying a bottle of acid.

The male friend, 36, also Kenyan, said she then poured the acid on the victim "dousing her from head to toe". He said that the acid caused "white smoke to come out of her hair" and that it also splashed him. 

The pair tried to wash the acid off with water but the pain was severe, so they went to the street and hailed a taxi to take them to Rashid hospital.

At just before 9pm the same day, after the two victims had been released from hospital, the accused returned to the man's flat and he reported her to police.

No motive was given for the attack. 

During police and prosecution questioning, she admitted to carrying out the acid attack with the intention of harming her friend, but later denied it in court.

Dubai Criminal Court ordered the deportation of the accused after the completion of her prison term.