Pensioner, 80, jailed for 18 years for acid attack on teen ex-girlfriend

A PENSIONER who arranged an acid attack on his teenage ex-girlfriend has been jailed for 18 years.

Vikki HorsmanSWNS

Vikki Horman, pictured before the attack, was 19 when she had acid thrown on her

Mohammed Rafiq, 80, hatched a plan to blame an innocent man before ordering the pre-planned assault on Vikki Horsman, who was 19 at the time of the attack.

Rafiq, of Smethwick, West Midlands, and co-defendants Steven Holmes and Shannon Heaps, were found guilty last week of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Jailing all three men at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Webb described the attack in Tividale, West Midlands, as a "wicked" act with grave consequences.

Holmes, 25, of Allan Close, Smethwick, was jailed for 14 years after a judge heard how he was paid just £50 to throw acid into the face of Miss Horsman.

Heaps, 23, of Queens Avenue, Tividale, was given a 12-year custodial sentence for his role in pointing out the property where the doorstep attack took place.

Rafiq showed no sign of emotion in the dock as Judge Webb described him as being old enough to be his victim's great-grandfather.

Miss Horsman was present in court to see the men being sentenced.

The care worker was sprayed with a corrosive liquid after answering the door to Holmes on April 15 this year, and later spent five days in intensive care after suffering burns to her face, neck and body.

Mohammed RafiqSWNS

Mohammed Rafiq was described by the judge as "jealous and angry"

She had decided she didn't want to continue her relationship with you and you became jealous and angry

Passing sentence, Judge Nicholas Webb told Rafiq, Heaps and Holmes: "Acid attacks are not uncommon in certain parts of the world.

"Thankfully, they are rare in England. Quite often they are to punish a woman who has refused to bow to the demands of a spouse.

"In such cases it is done to leave a permanent reminder of what happens when a woman rejects attempts to control her."

The judge pointed out that Miss Horsman was still only 20 and had been vulnerable when she met Rafiq following the death of both her parents.

Judge Webb told Rafiq: "She had decided she didn't want to continue her relationship with you and you became jealous and angry.

"You obtained the acid and left it at the front door of the house for Holmes to pick it up and throw."

Turning to Holmes, Judge Webb went on: "I have formed the view that you are callous and lacking in true remorse. As far as I can tell you have no real conscience.

"Once Vikki Horsman had identified herself, you threw acid at her.

"She has received excellent treatment, but she is still badly scarred. In a sense, she is fortunate in that she was not blinded."

Vikki HorsmanSWNS

Miss Horsman was left with "devastating" scars, the court heard

Defence barrister Andrew Baker, said of Rafiq: "What possessed him, apart from blind jealousy, for this act of madness no one can ever begin to imagine."

Holmes, described by his lawyer as being "hired help" and not the brains behind the attack, was reproached by the judge for smiling in the dock during the sentencing hearing.

Jas Mann, representing Heaps, told the court that his client had been subjected to threats while in prison after being wrongly identified in media reports as the offender who threw the acid.

A fourth defendant, 26-year-old Ceri Parkes, of Westfield Road, Smethwick, was jailed for 12 months for perverting the course of justice in the early stages of police inquiries into the crime.

Speaking after the the pensioner was jailed, Detective Constable Jason Moseley, of West Midlands Police, said: "This was a horrifying and complex case which centred on a controlling relationship.

"Rafiq's young ex-partner was seriously injured and left with devastating, lasting scars, which one can only presume was his intent, given the nature of the planned attack.

"He recruited two people to carry out the attack on his behalf and then tried to claim that he was also a victim.

"His victim now has to rebuild her life and move on from what was ultimately a controlling, abusive relationship that she paid a high price to leave."

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