Mary Konye, 21, allegedly threw acid in the face of her friend Naomi Oni (left, today) because she was jealous of her looks. Miss Oni (top right before the attack, bottom right afterwards) was left with horrific injuries after Konye allegedly disguised herself in a niqab and doused her with sulphuric acid as she walked home from work at an east London Victoria's Secrets lingerie shop. Today jurors were shown a CCTV image allegedly showing Konye following the victim while dressed in the Muslim veil, moments before the attack (centre). It is alleged afterwards she posted a picture online of Freddie Krueger from Nightmare On Elm Street, with the message underneath: 'Who looks like Wrong Turn now?' - a reference to a character in the horror film.
This is the moment a jealous student disguised herself in a niqab and stalked her friend before throwing acid in her face, a court heard today.
Mary Konye, 21, then posted a gruesome image from Nightmare on Elm Street along with the gloating message 'Who looks like Wrong Turn now?' - a reference to a character in the horror film of the same name - after attacking her friend Naomi Oni, jurors were told.
Naomi Oni, an assistant at a Victoria's Secret lingerie shop, was left with life-changiong injuries after Konye disguised herself in the veil and doused her with sulphuric acid as she walked home from work, it is alleged.
Today jurors were shown a CCTV image allegedly showing Konye following the victim while dressed in the Muslim veil, moments before the attack.
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Stalked: CCTV images shown to jurors show victim Naomi Oni, right, being followed by a woman in a niqab, alleged to be her friend Mary Konye who then doused her in acid
Seeking revenge, she set out to 'ruin Naomi's looks' and confessed to confidents she planned to attack her friend with acid, jurors heard.
Kamilah Andrews, a friend of Konye, told police she had threatened to attack Naomi with acid so she would know 'how it feels' to feel bad about her appearance.
Gareth Patterson, prosecuting, said: 'Kamilah states that the defendant was insecure about her looks and that Naomi had insulted her.
Followed: Naomi Oni, 21, circled, using her oyster card at Stratford station before she was attacked
Naomi Oni, an assistant at a Victoria's Secret lingerie shop, was left with life-changiong injuries
CCTV shows Naomi Oni walking through Stratford station and being followed by someone in a niqab
'And there was a particular insult that was used, and a reference to a particular horror film and a reference to a particular disfigured character in the horror film - "Wrong Turn".
'It involves cannibal characters and disfigured characters, one in particular called a Wrong Turn.
'And Naomi had been rude to the defendant and said she looked like a Wrong Turn, that particular insult stung Mary Konye.
'Kamilah states that the defendant would complain that the victim would never compliment her about her looks.
CCTV footage which shows a woman in a niqab following Naomi Oni through Stratford station
Jurors were shown a CCTV image allegedly showing Konye following the victim while dressed in the Muslim veil, moments before the attack
This still shows Naomi Oni holding bags at Statford station in east London before she was attacked
Mary Konye is accused of being the woman in the niqab creeping up of Naomi Oni at Stratford station
It is alleged that Mary Konye is the woman in the niqab and followed Naomi Oni before attacking her with acid
'Kamilah Andrews states that this greatly affected the defendant, because she admired Naomi, almost to the point of obsession.'
He told jurors that Konye, who studied business and finance at Hertfordshire University and had known Naomi since their school days, threatened to seek revenge by disfiguring her friend.
Mr Patterson said: 'Kamilah states that the defendant would repeatedly say what she would like to do to Naomi.
'She states that the defendant would say 'What if I bought acid and threw it in her face, so she would know how she makes me feel?'
'Kamilah also states that the defendant told her she had joked to others about throwing acid on someone and that someone had suggested to the defendant that she should wear a 'nijab' [sic] so the police could not identify her.
'Following the attack on the victim Kamilah saw that the defendant had updated her profile on 'WhatsApp'.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW:
Chain of events: Miss Oli, left, left work for home, not knowing her attacker was behind her in disguise, right
Stalking: The prosecution say the woman circled is Mary Konye, who followed her friend on the Tube before dousing her in acid
Attack: Naomi Oni (pictured) had sulphuric acid thrown in her face by a jealous friend who then changed profile picture to Freddie Krueger, a court heard today
Giving evidence: Miss Oni, pictured outside court today, is appearing as a witness at the trial
School friend Safiye Laviniere said Konye changed her status on Blackberry Messenger so a message read 'She better not mess with me or I will make her face look like this' next to a photo of Freddy Krueger.
And Omolola Vincent, who was at college with Konye, said she confessed to her cruel plan after rowing with Naomi about her boyfriend.
Mr Patterson said: 'Omolola states that the defendant said she was going to ruin Naomi's looks.
'One of the subjects which Omolola studies was chemistry and she will tell you that the defendant asked her if there was any acid in the lab and when was the lab open and when was it closed.
'The defendant also spoke about how to do it without getting caught and mentioned getting hold of and wearing Muslim clothing so that only her eyes could be seen.
'In due course the defendant said that she had managed to buy acid and said she planned to wait for Naomi near her house.'
Naomi suffered horrific burns when she was attacked by a woman wearing a veil on her way home from work at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, east London, on December 30 2012.
Her face, arms, chest and thigh suffered blistering burns and she had to undergo a series of gruelling skin graft operations.
Miss Oni sobbed as she told the court she thought someone was trying to kill her when the acid was thrown over her face.
She only noticed a 'presence' following her as she turned into the road where the attack took place, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Giving evidence she said: 'I turned to my left and there I saw someone in black attire, a black niqab.
'I remember it facing me and staring directly looking at me.
'It was long and black and covered and I could only see the eyes - the face wasn't visible.
'I remember the reflection of the eyes, I remember them being bright and I could see them strongly.'
Asked if she knew the person had been following her from Stratford, Ms Oni replied: 'Not at all.'
Attack: Jurors heard Ms Oni (pictured) was oblivious to the fact she was being closely followed by Konye wearing a full niqab, a hooded black coat, gloves and a grey bag
She continued: 'I saw the black figure and jumped within myself and I remember looking and thinking, 'When did that get there?'
'I just thought I just wanted to cross the road and get home.
'I looked both ways and as I turned my head I felt a massive splash on my face.
'I immediately felt like somebody was trying to kill me and so my instinct was to run as fast as I could to get home - and that is what I did.'
Ms Oni began sobbing while recalling the incident and was led out of court room in tears before Judge David Radford adjourned for a break.
Days after the attack she unwittingly turned to her alleged attacker for a shoulder to cry on, a court heard.
Describing the moment she was attacked, Miss Oni told how she ran home home screaming 'Acid, Acid, call 999, call 999' before she desperately washed herself in the bath as her horrified family called the police.
She said: 'I felt, it wasn't burning, it was a dissolving type of sensation.
'It was on my face and I remember, as I had my mouth open screaming, it burnt my tongue.'
'I was hysterical the whole time. I was asking my family if I was a bad person.
'I was saying that I work hard, why did this happen to me? I was asking if I was ugly, I was saying nobody is ever going to marry me now. I was shouting, hysterical.'
As she desperately tried to rinse off the industrial strength acid she said her face grew hot and she 'smelt a very harsh chemical type of smell'.
Jurors were told that Mary Konye, who is accused of throwing the acid, had known Naomi since they were around 11 years-old.
Inspiration? The attack on Ms Oni mirrored an acid assault on Katie Piper (pictured), Snaresbrook Crown Court heard yesterday
Naomi admitted she lashed out at Konye and criticised her looks in a spate of angry text messages.
She said: 'I remember asking her why she wanted to do that and I said she's a monster or something like that.
'I said you are a monster, you are an ugly monster. I remember us insulting each other's looks.'
The pair made up and apologised to each other - but Konye admitted she was so furious with Naomi that she had plotted to throw acid at her.
She said: 'She also told me she was so angry she wanted to throw acid at me, but she was advised not to by her friend.
'Her friend said "that's stupid, you could go to jail for that."'
Asked what she thought about the threat, Naomi said: 'I thought it was quite bizarre, I felt insulted again. But she seemed like she wasn't serious. I thought she was trying to frighten me a little bit.'
During their school days the pair shared a 'private joke' about 2003 horror movie Wrong Turn, which features scenes of cannibalism, Ms Oni told the jury.
She said: 'For example if people at school would laugh at us or bully either of us we would laugh with each other and say 'Oh, you're from Wrong Turn' to insult them back.'
She told today how Katie Piper was her inspiration and she had discussed the model's horrific acid attack Konye.
She said: 'I remember being deeply moved by her story and me and Mary discussed it.'
Konye, from Canning Town, east London, admits she dressed in a veil and followed Naomi home on the fateful night.
But she denies carrying out the attack - and claims Naomi did it to herself.
Mr Patterson said Konye's oyster card and mobile phone placed her on the same bus as Naomi the night she was attacked.
The 21 year-old has a 'distinctive' walk which matches the woman in the veil who threw the acid, and clothes damaged by acid were found stashed at her home, it is claimed.
Konye denies throwing or casting a corrosive fluid with intent to burn, maim, disfigure, disable or do grievous bodily harm.
The hearing continues.
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