Obsessed fan ordered acid attack

A man has been found guilty of ordering an acid attack on a TV presenter he contacted on Facebook and then dated.

Danny Lynch, 32, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, arranged for sulphuric acid to be thrown in the face of his victim, leaving her badly disfigured.

Stefan Sylvestre, 20, admitted carrying out the attack, which left the woman needing a dozen operations.

Wood Green Crown Court heard how the woman, 24, ended the relationship with Lynch after he threatened to hang her.

He was convicted last month of grievous bodily harm (GBH), but has yet to be sentenced for legal reasons.

Lynch was also accused of raping the woman, but jurors failed to reach a verdict on that charge.

The acid attack happened on 31 March, three days after Lynch had assaulted his victim in a London hotel room and made the hanging threat.

Details of the acid attack and subsequent trial could only be reported after an unrelated trial at Kingston Crown Court was complete.

During the trial at Wood Green Crown Court, Lynch was described as an obsessed fan of the victim's shows who went on to contact her through the social-networking site Facebook.

In video evidence, the victim - who cannot be named - told the court that she was initially flattered by the attention Lynch gave her.

But during their brief relationship, the woman became aware of his controlling, jealous behaviour and violent mood swings, jurors heard.

In the days after the hotel room attack, Lynch bombarded the woman with telephone calls and messages, warning her of dire consequences if she told anyone about the assault.

In her evidence, the victim described the pain of the acid attack as like "burning alive".

"I was so shocked," she said.

"At first I thought it was coffee, but then it started to burn so hard.

"It was like someone had pushed my head on a grill. The pain was so unreal."

At a separate hearing, Sylvestre, of Australia Road, Shepherd's Bush, pleaded guilty to GBH over the acid attack.

Lynch, of Becklow Gardens, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm at a previous hearing over the attack in the hotel room.


Original article here