Khaled Aziz, 32, of West Holborn Road, South Shields, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court for a campaign of abuse against a woman, including pouring boiling sugar water on her stomach and threatening to set her on fire. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was also given a 12-year restraining order.
Fuel and Fire Threat
On April 7 last year, Aziz went to the victim's home wearing a "Guy Fawkes-style" half mask, shouting and smashing plant pots. He later returned with a liquid smelling like petrol, poured it over the woman, and searched for a lighter to set her alight, but could not find one. Recorder Andrew Latimer described it as "a terrifying experience for a lone woman in her own home."
Boiling Sugar Water Attack
The following day, April 8, Aziz returned, forced the woman towards the stairs, boiled a kettle with added sugar, and poured the hot mixture onto her stomach while threatening to kill her. She 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.
Further Assault with Straighteners
On April 29, four days after the victim returned home, Aziz entered her bedroom in the early hours while she slept. He threatened to kill her and used hair straighteners from her bedside to burn her back during a struggle. The victim called her father, leaving voicemails of her crying, and then the police. Officers found her crying in bed with fresh marks; the straighteners were still warm.
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." She added: "The physical injuries affect my ability to carry out normal everyday tasks and have left me feeling vulnerable in my own body. During the attack, an accelerant was poured over me while I was threatened with being set on fire. I was also subjected to threats to kill me - these threats were terrifying. I genuinely believed that I was going to die."
The court heard Aziz had a difficult childhood, did not finish school, and started experimenting with drugs at a young age, but has been co-operating well in prison. He has 14 convictions for 23 offences.
