Ex-boyfriend sentenced for acid attack while disguised as a woman

A former medical student who threw acid in the face of his ex-girlfriend while disguised a woman has today been jailed.

Milad Rouf left the woman partially blind in one eye and with severe burns on her face and chest in a pre-meditated attack after she broke up with him two months earlier.

The 25-year-old turned up to the Brighton home of his ex-girlfriend, who he met at medical school, on 20 May dressed as a woman in a body suit, hooded top, wig and coronavirus visor.

Witnesses described a “woman, fat build, 5’ 5” with short hair” arriving at the door, handing the unsuspecting householder a note and squirting a corrosive substance into her face before fleeing the scene.

Rouf had travelled from Cardiff to carry out the attack, he then removed his costume which he disposed of in bins around Brighton seafront before buying new clothing in another attempt to conceal his identity.

He was arrested following a painstaking investigation of CCTV footage by Sussex Police. Following a search of Rouf’s flat, officers found the notebook, items of clothing worn by him during and after the attack and a thorough ‘shopping list’ detailing his disguise.

After initially telling police he had an alibi, Rouf pleaded guilty in August to one count of applying a corrosive fluid with intent at Lewes Crown Court. 

He has been sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment, with an extended four-year licence.

Joe Pullen, from the CPS 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.”

Last year, our analysis revealed how police and prosecutors are increasingly recognising the link between domestic abuse and other offending patterns such as stalking.