Woman's Eyes Sprayed With Ammonia, Driven Around For Hours By Ex-Boyfriend Before Sexual Assault

A man in England was convicted on Tuesday for inflicting bodily harm with a noxious substance and then sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Matthew Johnson, 26, of Worthing, England, received a 14-year sentence for using ammonia to burn the then-30-year-old woman in August 2016. He also held her hostage — driving her around for several hours to prolong her pain, Metro reported.

Johnson will serve the first 10 years in jail then four years under house arrest.

Sussex Police Detective Constable Duncan Chalmers called the incident a "vicious assault."

Johnson met the woman in Worthing and told her that he had a knife and ammonia. He then forced her to drive them both to a nearby car park, where he used a plastic suntan bottle to spray ammonia in her eyes before he physically and sexually assaulted her, according to Chalmers.

"After this ordeal, he prolonged her agony by driving her around for several hours before he dropped her off at Worthing Hospital later the same day," Chalmers said.

Police said that the woman's eyes have not fully recovered from the chemical attack. She now must wear glasses to help her see and is unable to operate a vehicle during the nighttime.

Johnson was also convicted of actual bodily harm and criminal damage stemming from another attack on the same woman in March 2016. He reportedly fled Lewes Crown Court in May 2017, when he was initially due to stand trial, for the crimes, according to a Sussex Police spokesperson.

Officers arrested Johnson in September 2017 during a police search after an eyewitness spotted him on the street in Worthing. During the arrest, he broke his ankle when he fell from a rooftop trying to escape.

Judge Shani Barnes said the pictures of the victim's injuries were hard to stomach. She said that during the relationship Johnson was "the knight in shining armor" who then became "dark and dangerous."