Khaled Aziz, 32, of South Shields, has been jailed for four and a half years after pouring boiling sugar water on a woman's stomach and burning her with hair straighteners. The attacks occurred over several weeks, leaving the victim with first-degree burns and lasting trauma.
Attack with accelerant and lighter threat
On April 7 last year, Aziz arrived at the victim's home wearing a Guy Fawkes-style half mask, shouting and smashing plant pots. He returned with a strong-smelling liquid, believed to be petrol, and poured it over the woman before searching for a lighter. Unable to find one, he left. Recorder Andrew Latimer described it as "a terrifying experience for a lone woman in her own home."
Boiling sugar water assault
The following day, Aziz returned, forced the woman towards the stairs, and boiled a kettle with added sugar. He grabbed her by the neck and poured the boiling water onto her stomach, threatening to kill her. The woman suffered first-degree burns and was treated at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, requiring morphine for pain. She temporarily moved in with family, and the council boarded up her home.
Straightener attack while victim slept
On April 29, just four days after she returned home, Aziz entered the property in the early hours while she was asleep. He threatened to kill her and used hair straighteners from her bedside to burn her back during a struggle in the dark. The victim called her father, leaving voicemails of her crying, and then dialed 999. Police found her in distress with fresh burns; the straighteners were still warm.
Victim impact and sentencing
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "What happened to me has caused long-lasting physical, emotional and practical consequences that I'm still dealing with every day. I genuinely believed that I was going to die." Aziz pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He has 14 convictions for 23 offences. The judge also imposed a 12-year restraining order. Aziz, appearing via video link from HMP Durham, had a difficult childhood and began using drugs at a young age but has cooperated in prison.
