Woman gives ex-lover acid bath

A 62-year-old man related to a jury yesterday how his estranged lover and next-door neighbour stalked him and threw acid on the left side of his face, scarring him for life. When she threw the acid, she allegedly told him: “Hold that.” Frederick George, of Belmont, told the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court how he broke off his relationship with Catherine George when he heard her husband was having problems with her. He explained that Catherine had lived adjacent to him on Barton Lane, Belmont, with her husband and children. And that sometime in 1993, he started an intimate relationship with her. Catherine, through her attorney Ken Wright, denied having such a relationship with Frederick but instead, expressed fear of him.   Catherine is before Justice Rajendra Narine, charged with throwing acid on Frederick’s face with the intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on January 17, 1996 at Belmont Circular Road. State prosecutor in the matter is Nalini Singh.

Under cross-examination, Frederick said that he had never taken Catherine out on a date except once when he met her at the Savannah at a Carnival show where she was working. He said he gave her gifts but not expensive ones because of her husband. Frederick related to the court how he was standing on Belmont Circular Road awaiting a taxi about midday when Catherine approached him. He said she took out a soft drink bottle from her handbag, used her teeth to open the cap, poured some of its contents into a silver cup then walked towards him but not directly and threw the liquid on him. The liquid, later identified as sulphuric acid, burnt the left side of Frederick’s face and shoulder.  He said he felt his skin burning and ran to the nearby Belmont Police Station. Frederick said that on November 13, 1995, he had terminated his relationship with Catherine after she had hit him in the back with a block.  He also claimed that Catherine would pass on Barton Lane in order to “stalk him.” Hearing continues next Wednesday.