Travel rep doused with litres of acid ‘after ex-boyfriend lured her into trap’

A YOUng British woman doused in litres of acid in Portugal may have been lured into an elaborate trap by an ex-boyfriend.

The victim, named locally as 29year- old eleanor Chessell, was left screaming in agony on the pavement after the attack in a popular Algarve holiday resort.

The travel rep from the Isle of Wight managed to shield most of her face from the corrosive substance but was left with second and third-degree burns on about 50 per cent of her body.

Detectives are believed to be tracking down the ex-boyfriend, who is suspected of creating a fake Facebook profile to lure Miss Chessell to the spot where she was attacked. The man, thought to be Portuguese, has been missing since Saturday’s incident in Alvor, near Portimao.

Police are also said to be looking at a theory that the former lover may have paid someone else to carry out the crime.

A source said: ‘The investigation is pointing towards a former boyfriend who allegedly created a fake Facebook profile, giving the idea he was someone else, started chatting with his victim and then set up a meeting. Police are investigating the possibility the crime was the work of a third party hired specifically to carry out this hideous act.’

Detectives spoke to the victim who was being treated in a Lisbon hospital yesterday afternoon.

The acid is said to have missed most of her face apart from a small spot on her cheek. But it ‘melted her clothes like wax’ after hitting her arms, stomach and legs.

She is believed to have spent several months working at a hotel near the popular resort of Albu- feira after leaving a post in Madeira. The rep moved to another upmarket hotel close to Portimao about a month ago.

Sources say they believe she may have transferred between hotels after the ex-boyfriend discovered where she was working and tracked her down.

On the day of the attack, it is understood she left work after receiving a phone call or message about the meeting which later transpired to be a trap. Police are yet to make an official comment, but a source close to the inquiry said the prime suspect is a Portuguese man thought to be from Madeira.

he has been described as someone who is known to police over previous violent incidents.

The source said: ‘They had a relationship in the past and there is a domestic violence history.

‘On top of that, his whereabouts are unknown since this happened. Police are trying to trace him while we wait to question the victim of this horrible crime. Police still don’t know which acid was used in the attack. They collected samples from the floor and from the victim’s clothes for analysis. Apparently nobody saw anything.’

Another source close to the ongoing probe added: ‘It was a very shocking scene as the clothes were melting like wax.

‘The victim apparently tried to protect her face, because she was not burned in the face – just a spot on the right cheek. The main injuries were on her arms, stomach and legs. Three police officers ended up in hospital affected by vapours from the acid, and suffering from respiratory problems.’

Police yesterday removed a bottle believed to have been used to throw the acid from a spot near the scene of the crime.

Burn marks were clearly visible on the roadside and plants and shrubbery close to where the attack happened.

The see- through bottle was found hidden among vegetation at the side of the road, near an Intermarche supermarket, two days after the incident.

‘Melted her clothes like wax’