'Jealous' woman who poured sulphuric acid on sleeping partner after row jailed for life

A "jealous" woman with a "fixation" for acid attacks has been jailed for life after she poured sulphuric acid over her boyfriend as he slept.

Katie Leong attacked sleeping Daniel Rotariu, 31, at their home in Tuner Road, Leicester, in July 2016 and attempted to incriminate her ex-partner for the assault.

Rotariu suffered burns to a third of his body and the loss of sight in both eyes, leaving him "deeply disfigured".

He spent 26 weeks in hospital undergoing life-saving treatment.

Leong, 52, was found guilty of attempted murder at Leicester Crown Court and she was given a 34 year life sentence of which she will serve a minimum of 17 years.

Her former boyfriend Mark Cummings was found not guilty by a jury of the same offence. The court heard how Rotariu began his turbulent relationship with Leong in December 2015.

Leong had forced him to delete Facebook from his phone in an act of jealousy and demanded that he get a tattoo, the jury was told. Prosecutors said that on the night of the attack Rotariu had argued with Leong and he went to bed at about 8pm.

The court heard that he was then woken in the middle of the night by a "burning" feeling and saw a "silhouette" of a person in the room before he lost his sight, but he could not be sure who this was.

Rotariu, who will continue to require medical help for years, said in a statement: "It felt like boiling water, that's how it felt. My eyes started to go like fog. I went to the bathroom, I screamed".

Although Cummings, 46, confirmed he was in the house on the night of the attack, he said he was hiding as he was not supposed to be there.

Cummings admitted that he had bought two containers of sulphuric acid at 96% concentration for Leong's jewellery cleaning business despite her "fixation" with acid attacks.

Sentencing Leong Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said: "You chose to attack him (Rotariu) because he annoyed you during an argument (hours before the acid attack). He went to bed at 8pm to avoid you.

"That's when you called Mark Cummings, at 9pm. You exploited his (Mr Cummings) weakness for you in an effort to implicate him – and nearly succeeded.

"You manipulate men who are lured into your web. You're a highly obsessive and jealous person."

Leicestershire Police Detective Chief Inspector Rich Ward, who led the investigation, said following the verdict: "It is hard to adequately describe the horror and brutality of what was done to him. It is equally hard to accept the chilling lack of concern for him since then,.

"Leong has not shown any remorse - let alone humanity - for what she did," he said.