TUI rep acid attack: man jailed for 12 years
A man who hired a ‘hitman’ to throw acid at a TUI Travel rep, scarring her for life, has been jailed for 12 years.
Claudio Gouveia, the former boyfriend of 29-year-old Ellie Chessell, set up a fake account on dating app Tinder to lure the TUI rep to the scene of the attack close to the four-star Alvor Baia Hotel where she worked.
Gouveia, 35, was convicted of attempted murder and an earlier assault on Ellie. He was ordered to pay her compensation and also compensate the three hospitals who treated her.
The alleged hitman Edmundo Helder Rodrigues Fonseca, is being tried separately for the incident, which happened in May last year.
Ellie, from Newport, Isle of Wight, issued a statement following the court decision saying the last 12 months of her life have been a ‘living nightmare for my family’.
Speaking of the ‘cowardly acid attack’ she said: "The physical and mental scars of what happened to me in May 2017 will never ever heal – but today’s lengthy prison sentence for Gouveia will help me move forward with my life knowing that justice has finally been served.
"Acid attacks are truly the most evil of crimes and my heart goes out to all fellow victims who have shown such bravery and courage in bringing their perpetrators to justice.
"I hope his lengthy prison sentence will give him time to reflect on the severity of his crimes and help deter other individuals from carrying out such horrific acts."
She had been living in fear of the waiter since their split and had received threats from him.
Before the attack he had texted: "I’m going to find you and I will take your head off."
Ellie had gone to police to report the threats and left the island of Madeira where Gouveia lived, but he followed her to the Algarve.
In her statement, Ellie also thanked her family for helping her through some ‘very dark times’.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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