The 48-year old woman who threw caustic liquid into the face of a 22 year woman who worked at her husband’s Sandown restaurant has been jailed for nine years at Portsmouth Crown Court.
It was said in court that the incident had occurred as the older woman had “wanted to make her less attractive”. She believed the younger woman was having an affair with her husband.
Police stopped her as she tried to leave the Island on a ferry. She had £1,800 cash and her passport with her.
CPS lays out their understanding of events
At an earlier hearing the prosecution explained the flow of events as far as they understood them.
She took the new bottle of caustic soda and a plastic beaker from under the sink of her Ryde home.
She drove to Tesco and bought two bottles of water to mix with the caustic soda, then continuing her journey to the Royal China restaurant in Sandown.
She went to the rear of the restaurant, to a small room when she knew she would find the young woman.
Fizzing like Coke
Outside she poured the caustic soda into the jug and poured water on top. She commented that it made a sound “like Coke” fizzing.
She said she was confused.
She knocked on the door. The other girl in the room answered the door and as the room was dark, she put the light on.
She said to the younger girl that she’d destroyed her family. There was a short struggle and she pulled her hair.
Leaving the room, she then went outside and got the jug, throwing it over the younger girl.
She told police that she thought it would give her a rash.
Extensive burns
The 22-year old suffered extensive burns, needing to be transferred to the specialist burns unit at Salisbury Hospital on the mainland for treatment. She nearly lost the sight in one eye. She now cannot wash herself, or go out in the sunshine without lots of sunscreen.
The only positive is that the attacker, Sau Lin-Hin, pleaded guilty, thus sparing the victim from having to relive the experience under cross-examination in court, reported the County Press.
Attack shocked the Island
The incident shocked the Island when it occurred back at the beginning of June this year.
The case had been heard at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court in June and then again in July, when it was decided to transfer the case to Portsmouth Crown Court.
Update 9.15 25.9.2014:
Dale Sheehan, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wessex said,
“Sau Lin-Hin,48, from Ryde, deliberately took some caustic soda and threw it on the face of Zhijian Zhang also known as Jackie, a 22- year-old waitress who was working in Sau Lin-Hin’s husband restaurant in Sandown (Isle of Wight). The court heard how Sau Lin-Hin had mixed the caustic soda with water and how she had clearly intended to throw it on the young woman’s face as she was jealous of her and wanted to make her less attractive.
“A five per cent concentration of caustic soda causes serious injuries, the concentration that Sau Lin-Hin used was one of 33%. This means that the level of concentration was viscous, sticking to the skin or any surface in which it came into contact. It was extremely corrosive.
“Sau Lin-Hin inflicted extensive injuries to Zhijian Zhang to the right arm, shoulder, right chest, right side of the face. Zhijian Zhang was very lucky not to lose her sight. Sau Lin-Hin in her interview said that she did not want to cause serious harm, this is a defence that we did not accept. It was clear that she had intended to cause serious harm as she had prepared the mixture, which was highly concentrated causing immediate injuries to Zhijian Zhang.
“Not only Zhijian Zhang is left with the trauma of the attack, but Sau Lin-Hin had scarred her for life. Zhijian Zhang in her victim personal statement described the devastating effects on her life and her future. She said that she had been disfigured even on parts of her body not directly affected by burns because surgeons used other parts of her body for skin grafts. She is devastated as she cannot be exposed to sunshine without wearing lots of sunscreen, has to wear lots of bandages and cannot have a wash without the help of her sister. She has lost her job, is currently dependant of her family and is very worried that she might not be able to work again or find love because of her scars.
“By pleading guilty, Sau Lin- Hin has spared Zhijian Zhang to relive the terrible moments of the attacks at a trial.
“We hope that with this sentence Zhijian Zhang, will be able to move on with her life, our thoughts at this instants are with her.”
Updated 18:37 Added details of attack given by CPS at the June hearing.
