A man poured boiling water over his sister-in-law and her freckles "melted away" in a row over a pet rat. Charlotte Foster, 29, has spoken out for the first time after being left with first and second degree burns at the hands of her fiance's brother, Ben Queen, 28, reports the Mirror.
The pair were's argument started when Charlotte texted Ben, a fellow rat owner, on August 4, 2021 about a trip to the vets she'd taken with pet, Ruby. Ben strangely became angry after hearing that her pet had been given allergy medication for breathing problems.
A bizarre text message argument followed before Charlotte went to his house later that day to ask for an apology. However, Ben snapped and shouted ''take this you b**ch'' before pouring a kettle of freshly boiled water over her.
Mum-of-one, Charlotte, fled the scene and was rushed to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, for treatment to severe burns. Ben was arrested later that day and released on bail.
He pled guilty to causing grievous bodily harm on January 10 at Carlisle Crown Court, and was handed a 21-month jail sentence as well as a five-year restraining order on February 9.
Charlotte said: "We'd been a tight knit family before all this happened, none of it makes sense even now. 'It all happened so fast. I could see that Ben was getting wound up after his coffee cup has been spilt, so I move out of the way and that's when he snapped.
"All of a sudden, I felt this scorching sensation on my head, ears and neck with Ben towering the kettle over me. He continue to pour the water for a minute as I screamed for him to stop; I've never felt pain like that.
"The physical damage was horrendous and the pain left me wanting to end it all. It was heart-breaking for my son to see me. I watched as my freckles died and literally fell off my face as my skin melted away. My skin around my face, neck, chest, shoulder and ears are still damaged now and it's a constant reminder of this sick individual."
Charlotte, who cares for her fiancé, Ben Queen's brother Sam, and says she even worked with Ben at the same B&M store in 2020. But on the morning of the attack Charlotte messaged Ben about her rat and things turned sour.
"I'd texted Ben to give him an update about Ruby, as she'd had some breathing problems for a couple of weeks," Charlotte recalled. "He had a pet rat too, so we'd chat about our pets. I mentioned that the vet had given me medicine for Ruby and then he called me stupid for giving a rat medicine.
"I was taken back so when I went to my local shop later that day, I decided to call into Ben's to tell him he'd hurt my feelings. To this day, I wish I had never visited him. He screamed at me and before I knew it, I felt this warm sensation on the top of my head which quickly turned hot and then scalding.
"I turned around and saw Ben towering behind me with a kettle. The metal tip of the kettle was literally poking into my scalp as he poured it. I tried to move away but he then put the kettle on my chest and then the back of my neck. The water was so hot, I was just screaming out in pain."
She ran to the bathroom and leapt into the shower fully clothed to cool her body down. Hearing her screams, Queen's mum called an ambulance.
Charlotte ran to her mum, Nicola Foster's house where she was treated by paramedics before she returned to her home where her fiancé was waiting with the police. Charlotte was taken to hospital where she was initially treated for her first- and second-degree burns - and remained for four hours.
Three days later, she was transferred to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, to their burn unit for specialist treatment. Over the course of the week, she made the trip from Carlisle to the burn until in Newcastle and required weekly check-ups thereafter as well as strong pain medication for her horrific burns.
Charlotte said: "The after pain was unbearable. I'd just cry because it hurt so much; my hair would stick to my ear that had blistered all over and my face had puffed up completely.
"My son would say I still looked beautiful but I could see that he was scared of my injuries. I was horrified when I looked in the mirror as my freckles had started changing colour. Within the first month, they turned from brown to black and fall off.
"My partner, Sam would be there having to clean them up as I just cried. Growing up with freckles isn't always fun as you get teased, but as an adult I'd learnt to embrace them. Now they're gone; my face looks so different which is a constant reminder of the attack."
Despite Ben's jail sentence, Charlotte says that it will ''never be enough for the mental and physical turmoil'' she's been left with. She said: "I still have nightmares about it all and little things such as a kettle switch can make me flinch. There have been really dark times when I've wanted to just give up completely but I've been thankful for Sam.
''Ben has torn this family apart and for that I feel for Sam too- he was his brother after all. Sam and my son have been my rock throughout it all.
"It's been strange Sam looking after me as I'm his career but he's been amazing as well as the incredible NHS staff at Newcastle Royal Infirmary. I hope that other burn victims read this and see that there's hope and it will get better with time.
"We sadly lost Ruby in November 2021, she was so special but I was glad that she wasn't suffering anymore. I'm still not 100 per cent, but Ben being jailed is a start."
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