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Trainee doctor facing jail after ‘horrendous’ acid attack on fellow medic

A trainee doctor is facing jail after he admitted spraying sulphuric acid into the face of a fellow medic, leaving her with catastrophic and life-changing injuries.

Milad Rouf, 25, had been friends with Rym Alaoui since studying medicine alongside her at Cardiff University.

He later gave her a management role at the online medical website he launched.

But in May, Rouf turned up at her home in Brighton wearing a mask and sprayed concentrated acid into her face.

The 25-year-old, who was in her first year of postgraduate medical training at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, suffered appalling injuries to her face and chest.

She was rushed to the same hospital where she had been working and was treated by shocked colleagues.

Dr Alaoui remained in hospital for more than two months and will require reconstructive surgery.

No explanation given for attack

Rouf, who is yet to explain why he launched the attack, appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of “maliciously throwing or casting” sulphuric acid at the young doctor.

He admitted spraying the “corrosive liquid” with the intent to burn, maim, disable or disfigure her.

Wearing a white shirt and black trousers, Rouf stood impassively in the dock as the charge was read to him.

Asked how he pleaded, he said “guilty” before bowing his head.

Judge Christine Laing QC said she was mindful of the “extreme nature of this offence”.

“Given the serious nature of this offence, I have to consider all options. I also have to consider the question of dangerousness,” she said.

The court heard a full psychiatric report had been carried out and would be available on sentencing.

The attack happened on Steine Garden, a small residential cul-de-sac opposite Brighton Magistrates Court, in May.

Dr Alaoui, who was on a day off from work, is understood to have answered a knock on the front door of her shared house.

When she opened the front door, she was confronted by someone wearing a mask and sunglasses who then sprayed her with the liquid.

Colleagues ‘distressed’ by incident

Bystanders called an ambulance and Dr Alaoui, who was screaming in shock and pain, was treated at the scene before being rushed to hospital, where whe was treated by colleagues whom she worked alongside. One medic commented on social media, saying staff at the hospital had been shocked and “distressed” by the “tragic attack”.

Neighbours said the young woman suffered horrendous injuries and was seen being taken to an ambulance with a blanket over her head.

One said: “It all happened before I got home from work, but there was a real commotion with police and bystanders and an ambulance. I don’t know the lady who lives there, but by all accounts she was quite badly injured.”

Dr Alaoui, who was in her first year training as a junior doctor, was president of the Anaesthetics Society at Cardiff University, a role previously held by Rouf.

When he launched the DocBot online medical information platform in 2016, he offered Dr Alaoui a role on the management board.

The website is an online educational platform which aims to promote preventive medicine.

Rouf will be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on October 7 and was remanded in custody. 

Reference: The Telegraph: Martin Evans