A WOMAN revealed that her life has been “destroyed” by her housemate after she flung hot cooking oil over her.
Mariama Bah left Aissata Keita scarred for life and with burns to three to four per cent of her body following the horrific assault at the Newport home they shared.
The 30-year-old asylum seeker originally from Sierra Leone was found guilty of wounding with intent by a jury following a trial.
Judge Richard Kember told Bah: “You walked over to the cooker and picked up the pan of hot oil on the hob and flung it at her.
“This was a deliberate act in a moment of anger.
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“Your victim has been left with permanent and irreversible injuries.”
Jenny Yeo, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court there had been “animosity” between Bah and Ms Keita.
The violence directed towards the complainant was triggered after the housemates had argued over the toilet they shared at the house of multiple occupation.
Ms Keita had been cooking in the kitchen when Bah attacked her on March 21, 2023.
She was taken by ambulance to the A&E department at Cwmbran’s Grange University Hospital before she was transferred to the specialist burns unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
Mrs Yeo read out her victim personal statement in which she said: “She has destroyed my body.
“I have scarring all over my belly and alongside my private parts.
“I often have a painful burning sensation when I eat certain spicy foods.
“I’ve had to stop eating certain foods which I used to love.
“She has ruined my life. I had a beautiful body which I was proud of but I now feel so sad about every time I take off my clothes.
“I feel distressed, discouraged and disorientated for the whole day.”
She added: “I am unable to get over this.
“I have honestly undergone a complete and utter physical and moral shock since this awful experience.”
Peter Donnison, mitigating, said: “For what it’s worth, through me, she wishes to apologise for her actions.
“She couldn’t believe the injuries she has caused.
“It was a split-second reaction that was completely out of character.”
He added that his client, formerly of Dolphin Street, Newport, now of Seven Oak Street, Cardiff, had no previous convictions.
Judge Richard Kamber jailed Bah for eight years.
She was told she would serve two-thirds of that sentence before being released on licence.
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