Eleanor Chessell, the TUI travel rep attacked with upto two litres of acid on the main road between Portimão and Alvor, has serious burns to her arms, stomach and legs, with only a tiny amount hitting her face.
Chessell, 28, was attacked on the evening of Saturday, May 6th and suffered second and third degree burns over 60% of her body after a man came up behind her, threw acid from a plastic bottle and ran away.
Eleanor is being treated in Lisbon’s São José Hospital burns unit, having been transferred from the Algarve last Sunday. 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. comes from the Isle of Wight and had been transferred by TUI from an Albufeira hotel to Alvor due to harassment from her ex-boyfriend whom she met in Madeira and who had tracked her down to the mainland. He is known to the police due to previous domestic violence and now is the main suspect.
Police said: “The incident is related to the break-up of a relationship Ellie Chessell was involved in.“We have the name of the person we want to question. We have other names.”
The attacker either was this former boyfriend, or was someone paid to lure Eleanor Chessell to the area and to attack her.
The investigation is pointing towards the former boyfriend who police suspect may have created a fake Facebook profile to make her think he was someone else, and later set up a meeting in order for the attack to take place.
'Ellie' was left screaming in pain in the street as 2 litres of a highly corrosive liquid, as yet unidentified, were thrown over her.
The liquid is said to have melted the victim’s clothes 'like wax' but Eleanor managed to cover her face as the acid was thrown. A small amount hit her cheek but the acid drenched her arms, stomach and legs, causing severe burning and her condition at the specialist burns unit in Lisbon, remains 'serious.'
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have offered assistance to a British woman who is being treated in hospital in Lisbon following an incident in Alvor, Portugal.
"We are in contact with the hospital and Portuguese police.”
