A jealous prisoner left a fellow inmate blinded after throwing boiling water in his face because he was sleeping with his girlfriend.
John Hendry, 26, and Maksim Kniazkin, 22, pounced on their victim as he left his cell at HMP Grampian for his evening meal.
Hendry threw a kettle of boiling water into the man’s face, leaving him unable to see anything other than light and the outline of objects for months.
Kniazkin, Hendry’s cellmate, also got involved by punching the man in the attack.
Fiscal depute Colin Neilson told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened at around 4.50pm on October 2 last year.
He said: “The complainer had taken a few steps outside his cell when he felt boiling water splash against his face.
“Hendry had reached round and thrown the boiling water in his face.
“The complainer started holding his face and both accused punched the complainer numerous times to the head and body.”
The incident, which was captured on CCTV, left the victim’s face blistered from the burns.
‘The red mist came down’
The victim was found to have burns to the corneas of his eyes, which had swollen closed.
For months following the attack, his vision was impaired and he could only see lights and the outline of objects.
Mr Neilson said despite the injuries being serious and lasting for some time, the man had now recovered from them.
Hendry and Kniazkin, both described as prisoners of HMP Grampian, both pled guilty to a charge of assault to severe injury.
‘Bitterly regrets his involvement’
Defence agent Alex Burn, representing Hendry, admitted the incident was a “vicious attack”.
He added: “The background here is the complainer had involved himself in some infidelity with Mr Hendry’s partner at the time.
“He had the kettle in his possession, the red mist came down and he conducted himself in the manner described.”
Solicitor John Hardie, representing Kniazkin, said his client’s involvement had come from him being friends and cellmates with Hendry.
Mr Hardie said Kniazkin “bitterly regrets his involvement”.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin jailed both men for 15 months.
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