Edmundo Fonseca, 45, heard the prosecutor’s case against him in court on Monday. He is accused of dousing Eleanor Chessel, 29, at the request of Cláudio Gouveia, who already has been sentenced to 12 years for masterminding the attack.

Fonseca’s defence to charges of attempted murder is that he thought the plastic bottle he had been given by Gouveia, contained urine, not acid.

Eleanor Chessell, a TUI travel rep, suffered burns on about 60% of her body and has been disfigured.

The defendant confessed to some of the accusations, acknowledging that he acted under Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend’s instruction.

The two men, both from Funchal, are friends. Edmundo said in court that Gouveia traveled with him from Funchal to the Algarve and asked him to assaulted Eleanor.

The accused assured that he refused to beat the young woman but admitted that he finally agreed to rob her of her cell phone and throw liquid on her – liquid that Claudio Gouveia gave him, saying it was urine.

Edmundo Fonseca said it was not his intention to kill the young woman and that he hesitated before throwing the liquid over her.

The defence now asks that Edmundo Fonseca be tried only for the assault.

The accused said that he had apologised to the victim when he threw the liquid on her and realised that it was acid and not urine.

He revealed in court that he was splashed by acid on one arm. This was confirmed in court. The case continues.

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