The British woman attacked with acid in the street in Alvor has been named as Eleanor Chessell, a travel rep working for TUI and based at the Hotel Alvor Baia.
Chessell, in her late 20s, suffered second and third degree burns over 60% of her body after two litres of acid were thrown over her in an unprovoked attack which took place on a public road between Intermarché and the Hospital Particular in the holiday resort of Alvor, Portimão.
The incident occurred last Saturday and the man, who had come up behind her, ran off after he threw the acid that was contained in a plastic bottle.
Eleanor Chessell is being treated in Lisbon’s S. José Hospital burns unit, having been transferred from the Algarve over the weekend. She has talked to police and said she did not recognise the attacker, but that he had said “sorry” in Portuguese before he ran off.
The travel rep hails from the Isle of Wight and had been transferred from an Albufeira hotel to Alvor due to harassment from a man in Madeira - probably a former boyfriend - who is known to police and now is the main suspect.
Details are sketchy but suggest the attacker either was this former boyfriend, or was someone paid to lure Eleanor Chessell to the area and to attack her.
