Man sprayed ammonia in woman’s eyes after threatening her with machete

A man who threatened a woman with a machete squirted ammonia into her eyes when she fought back, leaving her in ‘excruciating pain’.

Mohammed Susso, 20, forced his way into the victim’s car before pulling out a machete in Little Hulton, Salford, in June last year.

He had stowed the weapon under the waistband of his trousers, with the victim fighting back and him exiting the car, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Susso sprinted towards some trees nearby and grabbed a bottle of ammonia, a pungent gas that can be mixed with water and cause severe health problems.

High levels of the corrosive substance, often used in plastics and explosives, can cause respiratory damage, burns, blindness and even death.

Susso squirted the contents of the bottle at the victim’s eye, leaving her with long-term damage in her cornea.

Her independence, she said in a victim statement, has been ‘completely taken away’.

‘I feel like my independence has been completely taken away from me,’ she said, ‘due not only to the damage caused to my eyes but also the feeling of having no control over what happened.

‘I feel completely overwhelmed with everything and I never felt like that prior to the attack as I have always been self-sufficient.

‘I feel as though my life has been on hold ever since June last year. I now just want to move past it and I am hoping that following the conclusion of court proceedings that this is something that I will be able to do.’

Susso, of Manchester Road, Bolton, was jailed for 10 years and two months after pleading guilty to assault and robbery last Friday.

Detective Constable Amy Yates, of Salford Criminal Investigation Department (CID), condemned the ‘shockingly violent attack’ and thanked the ‘brave’ victim.

‘Though this attack will inevitably have a lasting impact on the victim, I truly hope the sentencing provides her with a sense of justice and relief,’ he said following the sentencing.

‘Susso has shown a lack of remorse throughout the investigation and the subsequent court proceedings.

‘He is an extremely callous and dangerous individual, who will now thankfully be spending a significant period of time behind bars.

‘Hopefully, he will use this time to reflect on the unnecessary suffering he has caused the victim and the life-long impact that his actions have had on her.’

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