A 21-year-old hairdresser, Jessie James, is being treated for chemical burns in Trinidad and Tobago after she was attacked by two women who doused her with acid for socialising with men they knew.
Speaking with Guardian Media on Saturday, March 1, 2025, Galia Noel, the aunt of Jessie (pictured), confirmed that one of the women who asked for an appointment to style her hair in Belmont contacted her niece.
James was reportedly met by a woman on Wednesday, who identified herself as a relative of the person making the appointment, and taken to a track where she was confronted.
Noel said she was told by her niece that she screamed for help and was assisted by two women who took her to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where she remained up until yesterday.
Noel said she was deeply hurt by the incident, describing her niece as a “gentle, soft soul” who did not deserve such violence.
“The two eyes were affected as well as her lip and the softer parts of her face,” she said.
“Her two eyes are bruised on the outside, she can’t open them for too long, but when she does, you can see how the eyes are bulging, they are both very red.
“She can see in one eye but it’s a bit fuzzy, but she can’t see through the other one at all.”
Noel said she was deeply disappointed that women would perpetrate such a vicious attack on another woman.
“Whoever did this is a hypocrite because they’re trying to damage another woman. Even if whatever they accused her of is true, they didn’t decide to have a civilised conversation, they attacked her in the most gruesome way because this could have been worse.”
Noel said police took a statement from her on Thursday afternoon.