A TRAGIC acid attack victim gave evidence from the beyond the grave as he chillingly described how his ex-girlfriend laughed before dousing him in a corrosive substance.

Mark Van Dongen, 29, died in agony 15 months after the alleged attack in a Belgian euthanasia clinic when he lost his sight and the lower part of his left leg.

5 Mark Van Dongen died at a euthanasia clinic after suffering horrific injuries in an acid attack Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

In a landmark case, his ex Berlinah Wallace was charged with murder after prosecutors said the attack led directly to his death.

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court were today shown footage of Mark being interviewed by police before his death.

He told officers: "She woke me up and said that 'if I can't have you, no one can'.

"And she laughed and just threw the acid, it was a square box of acid with about an inch of acid in it. I only went back because I felt sorry for her."

He said: “It was burning like fire” and added: “I was running on the street in my boxer shorts.

"They fell off because the acid was eating away.”

5 A court was told that Mark had reported his ex to cops Credit: Facebook

5 A tribute to the Dutch engineer who Berlinah Wallace is charged with murdering Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

The Dutch engineer had met Wallace in 2010 but their relationship ended five years later when he started seeing another woman.

The jury was told that the pair were attempting to reconcile but on the night of September 22 they argued and Wallace went to stay at a hotel.

Mr van Dongen sent her a message saying: “You and me are meant to be. I’ve always known that. I will treat you as you deserve to be treated. You are my princess.”

Wallace replied: “It means a lot hearing these words. You are the love of my life. God does not make a mistake in this. I love you with all my heart.”

Adam Vaitlingam QC, prosecuting, said: "The defendant had bought a bottle of sulphuric acid, which she bought online from Amazon.

"At around 3am, as Mark was sleeping in bed, she poured the acid into a glass.

"She then went into the bedroom, and woke him up. She laughed and said 'if I can't have you no-one will' and she threw the glass of sulphuric acid into his face.

"It covered his face and parts of his upper body and dripped onto his lower body as he moved.

"Covered in burning acid, Mark ran out into the street in his boxer shorts, screaming for help."

He said cops found Wallace inside the house and she calmly told them acid she had been using to "distress fabric" had injured Mark.

5 An artist's impression of Berlinah Wallace in court Credit: Julia Quenzler

How is Wallace charged with murder? Mark Van Dongen died at a euthanasia clinic 15 months after he was attacked with acid and suffered life-changing injuries. This case is unusual because the defendant, Berlinah Wallace, has been charged with murder. The prosecution will argue that the mental and physical damage Mark suffered in the attack directly led to his death. Adam Vaitilingam QC will also argue that Wallace intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

While she was taken to police custody Mark was rushed to hospital.

The court heard that even with his hazy vision he screamed after catching sight of himself saying: “Kill me now, if my face is going to be left looking like this I don’t want to live.”

The burns covered 25 per cent of his body and skin had to be surgically removed.

The court heard that he spent 14 months in hospital before being moved to a care home for his last month.

In January this year he travelled to Belgium after consultants agreed his was a case of "unbearable physical and psychological suffering".

The jury was told that Mark, who would have been 30 this year, had previously contacted police to report that Wallace had been harassing him.

The prosecutors argues it was after receiving a warning for this that she went online and purchased sulphuric acid.

5 Wallace has claimed it was Mark that poured acid into the glass Credit: Facebook

The court heard she her online search history included questions such as: "Can I die from drinking sulphuric acid."

After her arrest Wallace, of South Africa, told cops that Mark had poured the glass of acid and told her to drink it with tablets.

The court was told that in interviews with cops Mark had alleged Wallace subjected him to domestic abuse including pouring water on him a year before the attack.

He also told officers she punched herself in the face and threatened to go to cops, jurors were told.

Today Richard Smith QC, defending told the court that Wallace, of South Africa, had thought the liquid she threw at Mark was water and asked the jury to imagine what would have happened if she had drunk it.

He said: "It is Berlinah Wallace's case that that evening as he had often done before, Mark had encouraged her to consider drinking the sulphuric acid they had bought for clearing the drains."

The trial continues.

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