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Acid attack victim Naomi Oni’s alleged attacker has been identified as her friend Mary Konye who was jealous of her.
21 year old Mary Konye, who stood trial today, had disguised herself in a niqab,an Islamic veil showing only her eyes, and followed Naomi Oni home in East London before allegedly dousing her in the corrosive acid.
Ms Oni, 21, who worked at Victoria’s Secret lingerie shop, suffered horrific burns on her face and chest, lost her hair and eyelashes and was left scarred for life in the alleged attack on December 30 2012.during her trial, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Konye, who was studying business and finance at Hertfordshire University, had been close friends with Ms Oni since secondary school.
But she was envious of the shop worker’s good looks, and the pair had rowed in the past leading Konye to attack her with acid previously, it is alleged.
Konye knew Ms Oni had been deeply 'moved' by Katie Piper's story - Katie is a model and TV presenter who was badly scarred and left blind in one eye after she was attacked with acid in an ambush arranged by her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch.
Knowing this, Konye decided to launch the copycat attack on Naomi Oni that fateful day, jurors were told.
The court heard Ms Oni left work at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, East London, at around 11.30pm with several colleagues. But she was oblivious to the fact she was being closely followed by Konye wearing a full niqab, a hooded black coat, gloves and a grey bag.
CCTV showed the university student had 'lingered waiting to see the victim' at Stratford and 'tailed' her home always making sure to keep a few steps behind her.
On the phone to her boyfriend throughout the journey, Naomi stopped off at takeaway to pick up some food and got the 368 bus to her house.
Unaware she was being followed, she got off the bus at Lodge Avenue, a few hundred yards away from her house.
But she suddenly became aware of a presence behind her and spun around to see someone in a niqab who lobbed a glass of acid at her.
However, Konye, who was arrested on February 22 last year, denied carrying out the attack or ever threatening to throw acid at Naomi.
She said they had had quite a few fallings out, including one very big one, however she said she did not remember ever saying she was going to attack Naomi with acid.
She denied being in any way jealous of the victim’s looks.
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