Jobless waiter Claudio Gouveia, 34, was convicted of attempted murder and domestic assault at a court in Portimao, Algarve, last Friday afternoon.
He was found guilty by a panel of judges, the sentence being delivered by presiding judge Cristina Mira, of ordering the attack on British holiday rep Ellie Chessell, in the Algarve town of Alvor in May 2017, on a street near the hotel where she worked.
The woman was lured to a fake Tinder date before having acid hauled at her by a hit-man hired by Gouveia, his acquaintance Edmundo Helder Rodrigues Fonseca, who is currently being tried separately.
Rodrigues Fonseca was tracked down by police to a prison in Uganda where he was serving time for being caught in possession of a large quantity of heroin.
An indictment submitted by the Public Prosecutor ahead of the trial claimed abusive Gouveia ordered the attack to exact revenge on Ms. Chessell for leaving him and moving to the Algarve.
It is understood Ms. Chessell and her concerned family had already contacted police in both the UK and in Portugal to report her ex-boyfriend’s threatening behaviour, which included messages that he would ‘track her down and kill her’.
In a statement released through the British Embassy, Ms. Chessell, who did not attend last Friday’s sentencing in person, deemed the attack “cowardly” and said the past 12 months have been “a living nightmare”.
“The physical and mental scars of what happened to me in May 2017 will never ever heal – but today’s lengthy prison sentence for Gouveia will help me move forward with my life knowing that justice has finally been served”, she said, adding “acid attacks are truly the most evil of crimes and my heart goes out to all fellow victims who have shown such bravery and courage in bringing their perpetrators to justice”.
Thanking her family for their support through what Ms. Chessell described as “some very dark times”, she said she hopes Gouveia’s “lengthy prison sentence will give him time to reflect on the severity of his crimes and help deter other individuals from carrying out such horrific acts”.