Medical student who disguised himself as a woman before throwing acid at junior doctor jailed

Tap to watch a video report by ITV News Meridian's James Dunham

A medical student who disguised himself as a woman before throwing sulphuric acid in the face of his former girlfriend has been jailed for 11 years, with a further four years extended license.

Milad Rouf of Newport Road, Cardiff, knocked on the door of a property in Brighton before using the corrosive substance to attack junior doctor Dr Rym Alaoui as she answered.

Dr Alaoui has been left with life changing injuries and cannot see out of her right eye following the attack on May 20th this year.

At a previous court appearance Rouf, whose attacked was fueled by jealousy and rejection, pleaded guilty to the offence despite denying the charge against him during police questioning.

Following the attack Sussex Police were initially looking for a female suspect and initially released CCTV footage of Rouf, disguised as a woman, shopping.

Detectives then discovered that their suspect was in fact a man.

Watch: Police interview with Milad Rouf.

After reviewing hours of CCTV, police were able to pinpoint Rouf throwing away items from his costume in bins across Brighton and Hove.

He was then spotted buying new clothes from the Primark store on Western Road in Brighton.

When officers searched his Cardiff home those items were discovered as a well as a hand-written note listing items used his disguise.

While sentencing at Lewes Crown Court judge Christine Laing QC said Rouf's attack was fueled by 'jealousy, and anger' after being rejected.

Medical reports suggested the 25-year old was suffering depression after losing his mum to cancer, but the judge went onto say his actions were 'beyond any ordinary comprehension', as he was told that he presented a risk of causing significant harm in the future.

A victim impact statement written by Dr Rym Alaoui was read out in court, which said:

"I live in constant physical and psychological pain, fear of future well being and socio-economic hardship.

"I have severe damage to right eye, which I am still unable to see out of, damage to my eyelids, skin on my neck chest and arm, I am unable to fully close my eyelids of neck.

Watch: Jaf Shah from the organisation of Acid Survivors Trust International explains the impact of such attacks

"Prior to this attack I was living independently, now I am unable to attend work or live my life as normal. I have been robbed of years of my career and years of my adult life.

"The psychological effects of the attack has been colossal on me, my family and loved ones.

"I cannot begin to imagine how or why someone could commit such a horrible and pre-meditated attack, it’s impossible to fathom what was going on in my mind."

Detective Superintendent Mike Ashcroft said,

"I would like to thank the officers who responded to the incident and the wider community for their huge support in our investigation. We approached and engaged with a wide range of businesses in the city centre and they provided us with hundreds of hours of CCTV.

"In the end, it was this footage that enabled us to trace Rouf’s movements through the city and build a strong case against him, which resulted in a guilty plea at court.

"I’m pleased to see the severity of the offence reflected in the sentence handed out by the court today. I hope seeing justice served brings some peace and closure to the victim, who will have to live with the pain and trauma of Rouf’s crime for the rest of her life, and also to her family, who have supported her throughout this difficult time."

Joe Pullen, from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“This was a shocking and pre-meditated attack - motivated by jealousy and failure to accept the end of their relationship - which has left a young woman with life-changing injuries.

“My thoughts today are with this brave woman, whose strength and resilience throughout the investigation and prosecution is inspiring. I hope she can find some comfort from today’s sentence.

“I additionally wish to thank Sussex Police for their outstanding work in uncovering Rouf’s elaborate disguise. I am pleased we were able to build a strong and swift case against him, using extensive physical and CCTV evidence, which saw him pleading guilty to the most appropriate charge of applying a corrosive fluid with intent.

“This violence has no place in our society. The CPS is committed to protecting victims from domestic abuse through our close working with the police to build the strongest possible cases and charges appropriate to the crime.”

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