Khaled Aziz has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after subjecting a woman to a horrific campaign of violence that included pouring boiling sugar water over her and burning her with hair straighteners. The 32-year-old from South Shields carried out the attacks at the victim's home, leaving her with first-degree burns and lasting trauma.
Attack with Petrol and Lighter Search
Newcastle Crown Court heard that on April 7 last year, Aziz arrived at the victim's home wearing a half mask resembling a Guy Fawkes style disguise. He shouted at her, smashed plant pots in her garden, and doused her in a liquid that smelled like petrol. According to prosecutor Jane Foley, Aziz then searched the house for a lighter but failed to find one. Recorder Andrew Latimer described the incident as a terrifying experience for a lone woman in her own home, believing she was about to be set on fire.
Boiling Sugar Water Attack
The following day, April 8, Aziz returned and forced the victim towards the stairs before boiling a kettle with added sugar. He grabbed her by the neck and poured the boiling sugar water onto her stomach, threatening to kill her. The woman required treatment at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary for first-degree burns and was prescribed morphine for pain relief. She temporarily moved in with family, and the council boarded up her home for safety.
Burning with Straighteners While Asleep
Despite the victim's efforts to stay safe, Aziz struck again on April 29, just four days after she returned home. In the early hours, he entered her bedroom while she was asleep. The court heard that he threatened to kill her again and used hair straighteners from her bedside cabinet to burn her back during a struggle in the dark. The victim managed to call her father, leaving voicemails in which she could be heard crying, before contacting police. Officers found her crying in bed with fresh marks on her back; the straighteners were still warm.
Victim's Impact Statement
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said: "What happened to me has caused long-lasting physical, emotional and practical consequences that I'm still dealing with every day. 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."
Sentencing and Restraining Order
Aziz pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The judge also imposed a 12-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim. The court heard that Aziz, who appeared via video link from HMP Durham, had a difficult childhood, did not finish school, and started experimenting with drugs at a young age. He has 14 convictions for 23 previous offences. Northumbria Police confirmed the sentence and highlighted the severity of the attacks.
