A 21-year-old hairdresser, Jessie James, is receiving treatment for severe burns in Trinidad and Tobago after two women attacked her with acid for associating with men they knew.
Her aunt, Galia Noel, told Guardian Media on Saturday, March 1, 2025, that one of the women had scheduled a hair appointment with Jessie in Belmont.
On Wednesday, James met a woman who claimed to be a relative of the client. She was then led to a secluded area, where she was ambushed.
During the attack, the women accused James of speaking to men they knew and threw two cups of scalding liquid on her before fleeing the scene.
Jessie’s aunt, Galia Noel, said her niece cried out for help and was assisted by two women who rushed her to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where she remained until yesterday.
Noel expressed her heartbreak over the incident, describing Jessie as a “kind and gentle soul” who didn’t deserve such cruelty.
“The acid severely affected both of her eyes, her lips, and the softer parts of her face,” she said.
“Her eyes are bruised on the outside, and she struggles to keep them open. When she does, they are swollen and extremely red.
“She has blurry vision in one eye, but she cannot see through the other at all.”
Noel also shared her disappointment that women would inflict such a vicious attack on one of their own.
“Whoever did this is a hypocrite. They set out to destroy another woman instead of handling the situation in a civil way. Even if the accusations were true, resorting to violence like this is inexcusable—it could have been even worse.”
She added that police took her statement on Thursday afternoon.
