Bogota: A Colombian man who hired a homeless person to douse his live-in lover's face with acid was sentenced to 40 years in prison on charges including torture, authorities said Tuesday.
The Fifth Criminal Circuit Court convicted Edgar Pinto of attempted homicide, felony assault and torture, and sentenced him to 40 years and 10 months, prosecutors said.
"This is the first time we have had a conviction on a torture charge in a case related to an acid attack," said Special Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor Juan Hernando Poveda.
Pinto and his partner lived together for five years, from 2005-2010, during which he physically and verbally abused her repeatedly, prosecutors said.
On December 24, 2010, a street person hurled acid at the woman's face at night on a Bogota street, after being paid to commit the crime by Pinto, authorities said.
A month earlier, Pinto himself had injured her with a blunt object, among other assaults and sexual abuse.
Colombia is one of the world's nations with the highest rate of acid attacks, with about 100 such crimes a year, official data show.
Lawmakers have made acid attacks eligible for prison terms of up to 30 years.
AFP
