Woman Sentenced To 12 Years For Pouring Sulfuric Acid On Ex-Boyfriend

Gurney in hospital hallway

Ex-Girlfriend Sentenced To 12 Years After Pouring Acid On Partner

An angry woman poured sulfuric acid all over he ex-boyfriend’s body after he told her that he was seeing someone else. On Wednesday, the angry ex-girlfriend was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a Bristol court.

Mark van Dongen and Berlinah Wallace met through a dating service for HIV positive people, and dated one another on and off for 5 years. Dongen left her in 2015, which is when Wallace began to plan her revenge. According to prosecutors, she was researching sulfuric acid online and ended up visiting 82 websites to read about the substance.

Approximately a month later, the ex-girlfriend lured Dongen back to her home, claiming she wanted a fresh start to their relationship–though he insisted that he wasn’t interesting in starting anything back up with her, he spent the night there anyway.

Wallace attacked in the middle of the night, when her ex was wearing only his boxers. According to BBC, she yelled, “If I can’t have you, no one can” before pouring a cup full of acid on his face and body.” His burns were so severe that he later ended up taking his own life.

On Wednesday, A British judge sentenced Wallace to a minimum of 12 years, calling her attack “an act of pure evil.”

The acid burner 25% of Dongen’s body and left him paralyzed from the neck down–he also lost an ear, eye, and a leg. He spent four months in a coma only able to move his tongue, and he decided he no longer wanted to live. A panel of doctors ruled him eligible for euthanasia; he ended his life 15 months after the attack.