A jury has seen a recorded hospital interview with Mark van Dongen, the engineer who died by euthanasia in Belgium after his ex-girlfriend allegedly threw sulphuric acid over him. Berlinah Wallace, 48, is on trial for murder at Bristol Crown Court.
Prosecutors said Wallace poured the acid over van Dongen as he slept in September 2015, leaving him with 25% burns, paralysis, and the loss of a leg and an eye. He died in January 2017 at the age of 29 after Belgian doctors approved his euthanasia request on grounds of 'unbearable physical and psychological suffering'.
The court heard that van Dongen had begun a new relationship, and Wallace had searched online for images of acid attack victims before the assault. She denies murder and applying a corrosive fluid.
In the interview, van Dongen described his suffering and decision to end his life. The prosecution argues that Wallace is guilty of murder because the acid attack directly led to his death, despite the medical assistance.
