A Victoria's Secret lingerie store worker was today forced
to deny throwing acid in her own face to gain fame and fortune.
Naomi Oni, 21, was accused of setting up the attack and
asking friend Mary Konye, also 21, to 'play the stalker' and throw the
corrosive liquid over her.
Miss Oni vehemently denied the claims made by Konye's QC, on
the third day of a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The prosecution claim Konye donned a full niqab before
following Oni as she made her way home from Westfield Stratford City in east
London where she worked.
The victim was left disfigured for life after Konye
allegedly doused her with sulphuric acid near her home in Dagenham, Essex.
But the defence it was part of an elaborate plan to become
rich and famous.
Today Miss Oni insisted she was not 'obsessed' with plastic
surgery or the story of fellow acid attack victim Katy Piper, despite an internet
search history on her laptop suggesting otherwise.
In cross examination Sally O'Neill asked her to explain to
jurors the story of Ms Piper before asking whether she had become obsessed by
the disfigured model.
Miss Oni said: 'I wouldn't say obsessed but it deeply moved
me. I read about other attacks but it was not an obsession.'
Ms O'Neill said it was the defence case that she hatched a
plan with Konye to pour acid over herself to improve her future prospects.
She said: 'You said if something similar to that of Katy
Piper happened to you then that wouldn't be the end of the world because Katy
Piper probably had a career boost.'
Miss Oni simply replied: 'No.'
The defence barrister asked her why she had visited a series
of plastic surgery websites.
Miss Oni answered: 'I do not think I was very pretty at all.
'I went on the sites for no reason in particular - I had
body issues and I was interested in plastic surgery for my body but there was
no particular reason.
'I remember searching for my eyelids because I had double
eyelids which I didn't like so I planned one day to see if I could do something
about it.'
But Ms O'Neill said: 'You formalised a plan in which you
would become the victim of a random acid attack in the hope that you would
receive the same type of fame and fortune as Katy Piper had.
'You were of the view that Katy Piper still looked lovely
after the attack but that you would need something else to support the attack
because the police wouldn't believe you and that was where you brought Mary
Konye into it.
'Your play was, I suggest, that you would make an allegation
that you had been followed and attacked and you wanted Mary Konye to be part of
that - you wanted her to follow you and also, initially, wanted her to throw
the acid.
'She absolutely refused to do that and you said that you
were actually going to throw the acid yourself towards your neck area.'
Miss Oni replied: 'That is very untrue.'
Miss Oni admitted deleting her internet search history on
her mobile phone a day before police were due to come and collect it.
She said she felt 'violated' and didn't want the police
going through her personal data so she decided to delete the history on her
iPhone.
Miss Oni also denied throwing acid over her face in a bid to
catapult herself into the 'celebrity' world.
While in hospital at the end of January 2013, Miss Oni's
aunt approached the London Evening Standard with an email about her niece's
plight.
Ms O'Neill suggested going to the media was the way Miss Oni
had decided to launch herself into the celebrity sphere.
She said: 'It is right that your family decided to take
matters into their own hands and go to the media?'
Ms Oni replied: 'We went to the press because I was homeless
at the time.
Ms O'Neill then said: 'You thought celebrity would come of
it, didn't you? Were you offered the services of a celebrity plastic surgeon
from America?'
Ms Oni replied: 'So I was told. I do not think being
disfigured and being famous is something I aim for in life at all.'
Ms Oni also admitted being paid £2,000 by The Sun newspaper
for an interview as well as appearing on ITVs This Morning programme and being
paid a sum of £1,000.
She also appeared on a German television programme and paid
around £1200 as well as being approached by the BBC for her story.
Mary Konye, 21, admits disguising herself in a niqab and
stalking Naomi Oni, also 21, on her way home from work, but denies she doused
her in sulphuric acid.
Describing how she felt after the attack, she said: ‘Am I a
bad person? Why has this happened to me? I work hard ... No one’s going to
marry me now.’
Miss Oni also revealed that when she told her alleged
attacker what had happened, her friend texted back: ‘OMG. Can’t believe it.’
She also cried down the phone to Konye, who offered her
support, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
She said: ‘I just had my bandages removed and it was the
first time I saw my face after surgery
and I broke down and I had spoken to Mary that night and I was crying on the phone to her and she
was on the phone to me telling me, “don’t worry, you’ll be OK”.’
The case continues.
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