No One Noticed His Suffering… Until the Vet Broke Down and Revealed the Truth

This case takes place in Bristol in the United Kingdom. On the morning of September 23, 2015, a woman named Dr. Nick White was awakened by the sound of her doorbell ringing, accompanied by the sounds of screaming and shouting. She opened her curtains and peeked outside. She saw a man dressed only in his underwear. He also appeared to be covered in mud from his head to his shoulders. At first, Nick thought this was some kind of weird joke or prank, but the man was screaming and begging for help.

And then a man named Thomas Sweet came out of one of the flats down the street wielding a golf club. Thomas was no attacker; he too had heard the sounds of screaming and shouting and was worried that somebody needed help. At first, he thought the sounds were due to a couple of foxes fighting, but then he realized it was a person screaming. He had come outside to assist. A couple of the other neighbors in the area had also come outside to see what was going on. They approached the screaming man and realized this really was not some kind of strange prank, and he was not covered in mud. They realized this man’s skin was literally melting and coming off in clumps.

The man’s name was Mark Van Dongen. Mark was 28 years old and was originally from the Netherlands. He had moved to the UK to study. He worked as an engineer and had a long-term girlfriend, a 48-year-old woman named Berlinah Wallace. The couple had met in 2010. Berlinah was a fashion student and was almost 20 years older than Mark. In August 2015, the relationship had broken down. Mark’s friends said they would often see scratches all over his body, and on one occasion, Berlinah had poured boiling water on him as he slept. So Mark did the right thing and left the relationship. He had also met somebody else.

On September 2, 2015—21 days prior to Mark being found in the street—Berlinah had gone onto her computer and began searching a certain topic: acid attacks. She looked at 82 cases of these attacks and what had happened to the victims. After she had browsed on some of the various sites, she went onto Amazon and was able to purchase a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid. On this very same day, Mark called the police and told them that Berlinah had been harassing him and his new girlfriend. Berlinah had called Mark’s new girlfriend numerous times on the phone, but when she picked up, Berlinah would not say anything; she would just stay silent in an attempt to be intimidating. Berlinah had also told Mark that if he were really to leave her, she would take her own life. The police contacted Berlinah and warned her to stop.

Mark also called his father on this day too. He told his father that he was genuinely scared of Berlinah. He explained about the scratches and the boiling water, and he was fearful that she might do something else. Despite his fears, on the night of September 22, Mark went round to Berlinah’s flat to reiterate that their relationship was indeed over and to try and make some kind of amends. Mark had also decided to stay the night.

At around 3:00 a.m. on September 23, Mark was sleeping in bed. Berlinah got up, walked into the kitchen, and poured some of the acid she had bought into a cup, then returned to the bedroom. She woke Mark up, laughed at him, and said:

“If I can’t have you, then nobody can.”

Berlinah then threw a large quantity of concentrated sulfuric acid directly into Mark’s face. Mark was instantly in a tremendous amount of pain. He was able to run outside, and the neighbors came to his assistance. They found him screaming in agony, begging for somebody to help him. The neighbors called the emergency services and told the operator that his ex-girlfriend had thrown acid in his face. They then assisted Mark, guiding him into a flat so he could take a cold shower to soothe the pain until the paramedics arrived.

The paramedics arrived on the scene and found Mark in a horrendous state. He was foaming from the mouth and had extremely severe chemical burns on his face, chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. They quickly administered pain relief and rushed him to the hospital. On the journey there, Mark was repeatedly saying that he could not see anything. The paramedic looked into his eyes only to see that one of his irises had dissolved. Mark told the paramedics exactly who was responsible for doing this to him. He begged for the police to go and check on his new girlfriend, worried that she too could have suffered the same fate. The police made their way over to Berlinah’s flat, and inside they found her just sitting on the sofa. She was, of course, quickly arrested. The police checked on Mark’s new girlfriend, and thankfully, she was absolutely fine.

When Mark arrived at the hospital, he was able to catch a glimpse of himself and saw the extent of his injuries. Mark screamed and stated that he no longer wished to live. Mark had to be put into a coma for four months due to the extent of his injuries. He was only able to breathe with the assistance of a ventilator. The acid had also caused a great deal of damage to his lower left leg—so much, in fact, that it needed to be amputated. The sulfuric acid had continued to burn not only through the skin and muscle but also all the way down to the bone. The acid had destroyed the membrane surrounding them, and some of Mark’s bones were full of cavities. It caused him an unbearable amount of pain. Mark’s nose had been completely destroyed along with one of his ears too.

The police searched for Mark’s family so they could contact them and let them know what had happened. His family lived in the Netherlands, so it took around 10 days, but they were able to find them. Upon hearing the news, his family rushed to his side to be with him. When Mark’s father arrived, the hospital staff told him where he could find Mark. He perhaps did not fully know the extent of Mark’s injuries, as when he arrived on the ward, he looked for his son but could not see him anywhere. He returned to the desk and told them they had made a mistake, but they had not. Mark’s injuries made him completely unrecognizable even to his own father.

Mark eventually came out of the coma, and when he did, he only had movement in his mouth and tongue. He communicated by sticking out his tongue when his father pointed to a letter on an alphabet board. After some time in recovery, he was able to start talking again, but he was paralyzed from the neck down. Mark became deeply depressed. The pain, the trauma, and not being able to move took a huge toll on his mental health. Mark’s injuries were so severe that the police decided that the pictures should never be released. From then on, Mark would need a lifetime of constant and dedicated care.

On November 22, 2016, a care home was found for Mark in Gloucester. After only one night at this care home, Mark called his father and pleaded with him to come to Gloucester to pick him up. Mark’s father drove 800 miles to his son at the home. Once he entered, he found Mark in his room covered in his own feces. Mark’s father promised him he would get him out of there as soon as possible. Mark’s family and friends were able to hire a private ambulance and managed to get Mark back to his country. They found him a care home with much better care.

If things were not already bad enough, Mark developed a lung infection. A tube needed to be inserted into his throat to remove liquid. The operation would mean that Mark would no longer be able to talk. Speaking to his family was the only thing that was keeping Mark going. Now unable to talk, Mark decided that he wanted to apply for euthanasia. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, and Mark’s application was granted. On January 2, 2017, Mark and his father spent some quality time together for the last time. The doctors came, and at 7:15 p.m., he was pronounced dead. Mark passed away at the age of just 29, and the trial would begin in 2018.

Berlinah’s defense argued that Mark had died at the hands of the doctors in Belgium during the euthanasia process rather than at Berlinah’s hands, and thus she could not be guilty of his killing. Berlinah also accused Mark of being controlling and violent, and claimed she believed that she was throwing a glass of water at him, not acid. She also said that Mark had left the acid on the side of her bed hoping she would drink it in the middle of the night. Berlinah made up numerous lies and excuses for what she did to Mark.

However, Berlinah’s search history showed an obsessive amount of premeditation. She had looked at many stories of acid attacks; she knew exactly what she was doing, and she wanted to destroy Mark’s life in the cruelest of ways. She had also tested out the acid beforehand on a table, so she knew full well how corrosive the acid was. The judge overseeing the case called the attack premeditated, sadistic, malicious, and callous. She stated that Berlinah was manipulative, controlling, and dangerous. The judge said to Berlinah:

“Your intention was to burn, disfigure, and disable Mark so that he would no longer be attractive to any other woman. It was an act of pure evil.”

When the judge read out the extent of Mark’s injuries and how he suffered following the attack physically and mentally, Berlinah showed absolutely no signs of remorse. Instead, she just continued to lie about Mark and about what happened. In the end, she was cleared of murder and manslaughter, but was found guilty of throwing a corrosive substance with intent. Berlinah was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison.

There are now marks on the doorbell that Mark rang when he pleaded for help. The acid that had burned through his skin had also corroded the metal—a chilling reminder to the locals who live in the area. The fact that there are no images of Mark makes me wonder just how bad the injuries were, and as stated earlier, even Mark’s father was unable to recognize his own son.

To me, acid attacks are one of the most evil and twisted things that a person can do to somebody. Not only does it cause a great deal of pain, but it also causes lifelong disfigurement. An acid attack also damages your muscles, skin, and bones in a way that hinders mobility. There is constant discomfort for the rest of your life that never ends, and the victims often need regular surgery. The victims also suffer PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The burns also result in a greater chance of developing cancers. It is a level of cruelty that is just unfathomable to me. In my opinion, someone who carries out such an attack deserves life in prison.

Sadly, people all over the world suffer from these attacks. They tend to be fueled by jealousy or somebody wanting to seek revenge for cheating, or even if a partner just wants to leave. In the UK, they have also been used in gang attacks. I will do my best to cover more of these kinds of cases—perhaps making a long-form video on the topic in the future. The story of Katie Piper, who is perhaps one of the most famous victims, is another notable case. Katie created a charity for people affected by burns and has done a great job at raising awareness.