Monday, February 25, 2013

Acid Attack Arrests

The language of the victim is passive.  Passivity in language is used to conceal identity or responsibility.   That police have arrested two assailants does not change that the victim used passive language.  I have questions:

Did she know the attacker?
Did she injure herself after the attack?
Did she know the attack was going to take place?
Is there anything to link her to the attackers, or those who know the attackers.
What caused her to use such passivity.  "The gun went off..." is an example.  Guns have to have their triggers pulled.  Why the need to use passivity in language?

**Is English not her first language?  Even if so, we must deal with the following:

Police claim that prior to the attack, she had searches on her computer about the previous acid attack.  What are the odds of her researching an acid attack on her computer only to be attacked with acid?

Original analysis:


Here is her statement made on TV:   "No words were spoken. There was no dialogue. I looked back and remember the person just staring at me.  The eyes were cold.  It was a cold stare."

She went to great lengths not to identify the attacker, including the gender of the attacker.  The wording appears to take effort in order to not identify the attacker.  

What do we see in her statement?

1. "No words were spoken" is passive.

 Passivity is often used to conceal identity or responsibility.

2.  Passivity:  "There was no dialogue."

This is also passive, and it has a language change from no "words" to "no dialogue."

3.  Change in wording.

 Words have the tendency to remain the same unless there is a change in reality.  When there is no change in reality, we must ask if the change of words is an indication that the subject is not speaking from experiential memory.

4.  "I looked back and remember..."

Within an open statement, one can only tell us what they remember.

5.  "the person"

The "person" is gender neutral.  Why not the "woman" since her gender has been identified?

6.  "The eyes were cold" and "It was a cold stare" has the repetition of "cold", making it sensitive, but "it was a cold stare" is passive as well.  This appears to be an emotional recall, placed at the time of the alleged assault.  If "cold eyes" is to gauge an emotion, it would make the emotion appear to be artificially placed here in the alleged assault.

7.  She went from the "eyes" being cold to the "stare", which appears to be a change in language without anything appearing to change, in context (reality).

UPDATE:  Police have arrested two people, male and female, and not one.  


this story is not complete:


Police arrest woman, 21, and man, 20, over acid attack on Victoria's Secret worker 'hurt' by claims she disfigured HERSELF


  • A woman, 21, and man, 28, have been arrested after attack on Naomi Oni
  • She suffered horrific burns to her face, arm, leg and head in the attack
  • The 20-year-old claimed she was attacked by a woman in an Islamic niqab
  • She was in hospital for almost a month following the incident in December
  • She is understood to have searched for material on burns victim Katie Piper 
  • 'Saying that I’d done it made me so angry and really hurts,' she said today
  • Her boyfriend Ato Owede has dismissed the police's suspicions as 'crazy'

Police have arrested two people after a Victoria's Secret worker was left with horrific burns when acid was thrown in her face
A 21-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man were held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm to Naomi Oni, 20, who was attacked in Dagenham, Essex, on December 30.
Naomi spent a month in a burns unit and has been left partially blinded from what she claimed was an unprovoked assault by a woman wearing an Islamic niqab.
The part-time model said she feared an unknown enemy was 'out to kill her' and wanted to die when she first saw the way her face had been disfigured.
To add insult to injury, reports over the weekend claimed police were looking into the possibility that she may even have deliberately disfigured herself.
Speaking today she said she was 'hurt and angry' that she was being accused of attacking herself.
Scroll down for video
Emotional: Naomi Oni, 20, pictured with This Morning host Phillip Schofield earlier this month
Emotional: Naomi Oni, 20, pictured with This Morning host Phillip Schofield earlier this month. A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of GBH
Naomi Oni
Naomi Oni
Shocking: Naomi Oni was returning from a shift at Victoria's Secret in Stratford, when the attack happened
'I’ve only just come out of hospital after having surgery on my eye. To see this story saying that I’d done it made me so angry and really hurts,' she told the Evening Standard.
'There’s no way I would have done this to myself. I want the person who did this to be caught.'
The man and woman arrested over the weekend have been released on bail.
Scotland Yard today said they had tracked down some witnesses to the attack, but there were others in the area that night that could also help.
'Police would like to speak with a potential witness who got on the Route 368 Bus at Barking railway station and got off at Lodge Avenue at around 0045hrs on December 30,' a statement added. 
'He is described as a black man, around 20 to 30 years, 5'5" in height and of medium build, wearing a black jacket and a black hooded top with blue jeans.'
Police said yesterday they were also investigating whether the attack may have been self-inflicted after they seized her computer and found she had searched websites about acid attacks before she suffered her injuries.
She is believed to have researched Katie Piper, a model who became famous for her bravery after she had sulphuric acid thrown in her face by an ex-boyfriend in 2008.
Miss Oni said she is 'really upset' about the allegation. Her family have accused the police of not doing enough to catch the true perpetrator and wasting time by instead focusing on a 'crazy' line of enquiry.
Miss Oni was severely scarred on December 30 following a shift working at lingerie store Victoria's Secret at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, East London.
Campaigner: Miss Oni is understood to have researched high profile acid attack victim Katie Piper before she was attacked herself
Campaigner: Miss Oni is understood to have researched high profile acid attack victim Katie Piper before she was attacked herself
She said she was getting off a bus close to her home in Dagenham, Essex, at around 12.40am when she noticed a woman in traditional Muslim clothing, which covered all but her eyes, 'coldly' staring at her from behind. 
She then felt something being thrown at her, she added. 'Before I could feel it burning, I just knew it was acid. I thought, OK, someone is out to kill me.' 
Miss Oni suffered horrific burns to her face, leg, arm and head. She lost her hair and eyelashes in the incident and has undergone several operations since.
Doctors had initially feared that she would be permanently blinded but following intensive treatment at a specialist burns unit, she recovered sight in her left eye and partial sight in her right eye.
Miss Oni's story was first reported earlier this month after she went public in a bid to help police find her attacker. 
She made an emotional appearance on ITV's This Morning, for a reported fee of £3,000.
'I don't want people to see me in public. I don't want to get the Tube or the bus. If I have to go to the hospital, I take a taxi,' she said. 'I have no clue why someone would do this to me.'
Her case attracted much sympathy and top American cosmetic surgeon Cap Lesesne offered to operate on her for free. 
The incident has caused considerable concern near her home and she and her mother have moved out temporarily for fear of further attacks. 
Far right groups, such as the English Defence League, have used the attack to criticise Muslims.
By the time she appeared on television, police had reportedly sought to retrieve Miss Oni's laptop computer, which was handed over by her disabled mother, Marian Yalekhue.
It is believed she had searched websites relating to acid attacks and the story of Miss Piper, 29, who campaigns for victims of facial disfigurement. The pair were due to meet after Miss Oni's public appeal.
Horrific injuries: Naomi Oni suffered burns to her face, head, arm and leg in an apparent attack in December
Horrific injuries: Naomi Oni suffered burns to her face, head, arm and leg in an apparent attack in December
Officers have since questioned relatives about whether Miss Oni could have harmed herself.
Miss Oni said: 'The police haven't been able to find anyone. They even asked my aunt if I had done it to myself, which really upset me. Why would anyone do this to themselves?' 
Friend Sheila Maclean said it was 'innocuous' that Miss Oni may have watched a Channel 4 documentary about Miss Piper on her computer, adding that this would simply have been due to an interest in make-up.
Miss Oni's boyfriend Ato Owede, 23, said the police are 'concentrating on the wrong things' and 'are just coming to a silly conclusion'. 
Police have yet to establish what kind of chemical was used in the attack.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said officers 'continue to follow a number of lines of enquiry'
Officers are asking anyone else who may have seen the victim in Lodge Avenue or seen anything suspicious around the time of the attack to call Barking & Dagenham CID on 020 3276 1056. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 VIDEO  'I had no idea who the attackers were' Naomi speaks emotionally on ITV


30 comments:

rob said...

If there was self-motive in this attack, like she wanted the media attention or free plastic surgery, the truth will come out. Either she will crack or the 2 charged will spill it.

Tania Cadogan said...

No strong reliable denial , at no point does she say i did not do this to myself nor does she say i did not arrange for someone to do this to me. If she can't say it we can't say it for her.

What stands out is 'Before I could feel it burning, I just knew it was acid. I thought, OK, someone is out to kill me.'
How did she know it was acid before she felt it burning? it could have been anything, it could have been an alkaline.
Her first thought is ok someone is trying to kill me and not what the hell is she doing, why did she throw liquid at me?
if someone wanted to kill her throwing a cup of acid over her head is not going to do it unless she swalls and inhales it.

Throwing a corrosive liquid over someones head is meant to disfigure not kill.

'There’s no way I would have done this to myself. I want the person who did this to be caught.'
Person is gender neutral and identity concealing, why use person when the clothin identifies the alleged attacker as female?
She doesn't say i didn't do this to myself so we can't say it for her.


She said she was getting off a bus close to her home in Dagenham, Essex, at around 12.40am when she noticed a woman in traditional Muslim clothing, which covered all but her eyes, 'coldly' staring at her from behind.

How did she notice the woman if the woman was behind her?

If the woman was behind her how close was she when she threw the liquid and why is the damage to her face when if the liquid is thrwon from behind it would natural srike the back of her head first?

How many passengers on the bus saw the woman in a niqab? they tend to srtand out like a sore thumb.

Did they offer her the fee for her appearance to seek public help for her attacker or did she demand it?
It is a concern that she was paid to make a public appeal to get her attacker when i would expect no money to change hands as she was the alleged victim of a crime. it also made my ears perk it was £3000 (3 being the liars number)

If it was an alleged interest in makeup that caused her to watch a channel 4 programme about a victim of an acid attack why did she not watch any number of tutorials about make up which can be found on youtube.
Her friends excuse doesn't pass.
coincidence? I think not

Tania Cadogan said...

Hi Rob, good point.

Part time model seeks attention fits and i also wonder if she had been talking about plastic surgery with family and friends?

I wonder if she didn't realise how much damage would be done or how far the liquid would spread.

There was another case where a woman claimed the same thing, corrosive liquid being thrown etc, she had done it herself applying it to her forhead cheeks etc and then claimed her eyes had been protected by just bought sunglasses.

In these cases there is an underlying problem, i woner if she has body issuesand was perhaps seeing a do over plus sympathy, maybe donations from well wishers or in this case a good plastic surgeon.

Should it turn out that she did it herself or arranged for it to be done for her, the offer from the surgeon is rescinded. cruel, yes she will have to live with the acrs, a detterent to copycats, possibly.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

The analysis is what it is and arrests do not change it. The subject is dead; the statement is alive.

she used language that deliberately concealed identity.

She will have to answer the question as to "why?"

However, searching on her computer about the attack is something that, if accurate, helps solidify the analysis and it is something police must learn why.

As rob said, the truth will come out. With now three people involved, the truth will be spilled.

Anonymous said...

The "victim"looks uglier BEFORE she attacked herself.BUT Muslim women ARE nasty turds in tunics.just sayi!

equinox said...

Hobnob, can we assume that in England the police cannot seize someone's computer without a warrant? If so, then the police would already have probable cause to search the computer of an "attack victim" - There must be inconsistencies in her story, contradictory statements from witnesses.. something to justify them searching her computer and "TaDa" finding supporting evidence like searches for acid attack.

'Before I could feel it burning, I just knew it was acid. I thought, OK, someone is out to kill me.' - This quote also leaped out for me, and you spelled out why, but I was also struck by the word "OK" stuck in the middle. Why OK? It's not OK, it's Oh my God! Combine that with the knowing it was acid before even feeling pain (who would think that?) and you have a sentance that screams "I knew beforehand that someone was going to throw acid on me, and that was OK because we planned it that way." I'm very, very sorry for her, but not for the reasons she claims.

Tania Cadogan said...

In the UK police need warrants to search properties and retrieve evidence.

I suspect that something was said either in her statements or by those known to her that caused them to get a warrant.

I am not aware of any cases where genuine victims of crimes have their property searched for evidence and items confiscated.

It does happen though when there is some doubt as to the veracity of the claim, something doesn't sound right.

The UK has a huge number of cctv cameras both on the street, in businesses and in public transport.

I wonder if they used cctv to look for the alleged attacker who would stand out in a crowd wearing a niqab and didn't see one where it is claimed the attack took place.
if she got off the bus and saw the woman then passengers would also have seen her, it is likely they would have checked the possible routes to trace the woman's footsteps before and after the alleged crime.
if they can't trace the alleged attacker than they will go right back to the 'victim' and confront her with what they know and thus get warrants to search.
If she did it to herself she may be charged with filing a false report and wasting police time, in which case play the mental health card and she gets of criminally lightly, if she got others to do it to her they will face charges of some kind, she will to.
Since she was paid a fee she amay also face charges relating to money by deception and have to repay it.

We shall see.

equinox said...

Throw in the racial hatred card too, which we can see having an effect even on the comments of this blog. She is not the only victim if her claims are false.

Periwinkle Paisley said...

"OK, someone is out to kill me." First "OK" ?? Who says "OK" after having acid thrown on them? You'd say 'why' or 'oh my God' or 'holy crap!' not "Ok" like you paused for a minute to think.

Then the word 'someone.' You'd say 'someone' if you never saw who it was but she did see her and had a stare down with her. So why 'someone?'

Like Charlie Rogers she's 'hurt' by not being believed. Unlike Charlie Rogers she wants the person to be caught. But again 'the person.' Not 'the woman who did this' even though she clearly identified a woman from the start.

"I could feel something being thrown *at* me." How do you feel something being thrown? Wouldn't you 'see' something being thrown or feel something thrown 'on' you? It's off.


What also isn't clear is if she was off the bus already and the woman followed her off or was there already after the bus pulled away. She doesn't say that. She said she was 'getting' off when she noticed her attacker from behind. (This isn't a direct quote in the article so I could be barking up the wrong tree.) If she's not all the way off yet but partially still on the bus this places the attacker on the bus with her. The acid wasn't thrown on the bus because it would have hit other people, the seats etc. and left evidence and witnesses. She goes from getting off the bus to the stare down to the acid thrown. There's missing time in there. Could 'when' be the same as 'and' to bridge over a piece of time, Peter? Did she get off the bus and walk a little? You usually do if only just to move away from the bus as it pulls away. She doesn't say she did but if she did what caused her to look behind? According to Naomi the woman was 'staring' at her but she doesn't say 'following.' I hope the investigators dig into where and when exactly the attack took place.

ellish said...

Yes, it is convenient that Muslims happened to be the attackers according to her. Also, the point that there are many CCTV cameras to pick up any attackers is a good one. The truth will be discovered here.

If she did orchestrate this, she is one disturbed individual.

C5H11ONO said...

"I looked back and remember the person just staring at me."

She remembers "the" person, as opposed to "a" person. That would be another tip off that she may know who "the" person is.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Equinox,
point taken.

If she had the notion of playing the hate crd, she succeeded.

Something is very wrong here.

Sus said...

I still don't like the original quote, if true. If someone throws acid in your face, you're natural inclination is to turn away, not toward the person who threw it. Thus I do not belive the account of looking in the "cold eyes" afterward.

Mainah said...


'I have no clue why someone would do this to me.'

"this to me" brings it close.
"no clue"? Several clues she should have: female, weight, height, size, hands, footwear?. eyes - cold stare. garb/clothing - colors, material, jewelry? etc. location, physical distances, other people present, smells, container size, color, etc. No clue, not even a vibe?

'There’s no way I would have done this to myself.

"no way I" - someone else than? who?
"would have" - conditional
"this" - closeness again.
"to myself" - I'd say she had help

Anonymous said...

IF she had help, then there are two very disturbed individuals out there. I think if she did this to herself or arranged it, her punishment has already fit the crime in that the pain would have been more punishment than she ever could have bargained for... the truth wouldn't hurt her nearly as much as the acid, IMHO.


Anon "I"

Lemon said...

Equinox,
Good point on the inclusion of "ok". It does not go with "acid" and "kill me".
Why would it be "ok"?

BostonLady said...

I didn't read any strong denial that she didn't do this to herself. She used the term "Would". Also, this statement jumps out at me:

She then felt something being thrown at her, she added. 'Before I could feel it burning, I just knew it was acid. I thought, OK, someone is out to kill me.'

Who would immediately know that something thrown on them was acid?? The reason she knew is because she's involved.

This action is drastic and displays deep seated psychosis. I hope she can get some help for her emotional issues as she has already for the physical.

Anonymous said...

Several things stand out...I read a more complete statement... She does say she turned and ran. But nearby CCTV? cameras did not show no evidence of this happening at that time. Perplexingly the article says they have interviewed "three witnesses" but doesnt say what the witnesses saw. They are looking for one more who I believe got off the bus at that time. What are the odds that someone would look up acid attacks and then two people would show up out of nowhere and know where she lived to spray her? She'd have to have been followed. Makes me wonder if her boyfriend was involved...presuming he has access to her computer, he could have knowledge of her searches (contributed). I research things I hear about or remember for an update constantly, Im an information junkie. I wonder what triggered this search. She was also searching for a specific incident involving a model.

Anonymous said...

One last thing, she never says I did not do this or I did not fake this attack or whatever is a reliable denial. I would not do this sounds uncertain, making me think she may have disassociated. My problem with that theory is if she did ot to herself out of trauma or PTSD from a past experience, why would she manufacture a lie unless she did not remember, perhaps feared the consequences?
Maybe she self harrms as self medicating, BPD like cutting or she has Munchausens. Anyway sorry so many theories. This case fascinates me.

Anonymous said...

She received $3000 (too lazy to scroll up on iphone to see if USD) to do this interview. And plastic surgery. Maybe this is a body dysmorphia since she was looking at a model to perhaps see how she fared.

Anita said...

Another case of racism where a woman set herself on fire and blamed the KKK.
http://www.examiner.com/article/louisiana-woman-sets-herself-on-fire-and-blames-the-kkk

Anonymous said...

Anon...posting about the lie detector, interesting...what are your thoughts on the acid search history?

Anonymous said...

Omg, have any of you seen her face from the Feb 1 article in Huffington Post? It is absolutely horrendous compared to the one Peter has that's updated. Amazing. She says she's always been complimented on her face, hairstyle and clothing (paraphrased) and been the center of attention. She does not note any male in the picture. I wonder what her boyfriend's nationality is and what that relationship is like.

Anonymous said...

In her video she says she 'HAD no idea who her attackers were." I know theyve arrested suspects---but does had indicate she knew them once they were arrested? I think she would say 'have' if she still didnt recognize them. How did they find these suspects if video doesnt show them on the street? Why after arresting suspects do they still think she did it to herself?

Anonymous said...

The people have been identified as 'known to the victim' and even further as 'friends.' Her boyfriend is a 24 yo law student.

Anonymous said...

I "search"the Internet for "horse se* videos BUT it doesn't mean I'm gonna knock up a stallion!!! When people "search"the whole Internet floodgates open Up!ie once I looked for a glue gun on google and within hours I had emails from every link in England mentioning every deal going!

Anonymous said...

Muslim females despise any woman who doesn't cloak herself in curtains.evil Muslims are ruining our earth.

Lis said...

"No words were spoken. There was no dialogue. I looked back and remember the person just staring at me. The eyes were cold. It was a cold stare."

Anything spoken in the negative is important. Why is it important to state there were no words or dialog?

This attack does not strike me as something a Muslim woman would do. If the victim had been outspokenly critical of Islam, I could see her being threatened by an extremist Muslim group, but this idea of a Muslim woman in a niqab glaring at her and then throwing acid on her seems really unlikely. But a niqab would be a great disguise, wouldn't it.

"'There’s no way I would have done this to myself. I want the person who did this to be caught.'"

Is "I would have done this to myself" an embedded confession?

Unexpected: "I want the person who did this to be caught." Why would she have to state this? Of course she would want a person who threw acid on her face to be caught!

"They even asked my aunt if I had done it to myself, which really upset me. Why would anyone do this to themselves?'"

When a person is accused of something and their reply is to question why they would have done it, it often is a red flag.

Miss Oni's boyfriend Ato Owede, 23, said the police are 'concentrating on the wrong things' and 'are just coming to a silly conclusion'.

"Silly" seems an inappropriate word to use here. I would expect something much more indignant, like "outrageous."

"Concentrating on the wrong things" - there are 'things' about the case and some of them are the 'wrong things' for the police to concentrate on, nevertheless the wording makes me believe they are legitimate things, just not the ones he would like to see concentrated on.

Periwinkle Paisley said...

People who keep bringing up that she said "The" person as opposed to "A" person, keep in mind we do not have the whole dialogue between the writer of the article and Naomi Oni. The article says "she was just getting off the bus when she noticed *a* woman staring." I think this was a quote that was changed to a narrative of her speaking by the author of the article. Writers do this because they are writing a story, not just relaying Q&A. We can't assume this is the first time she said anything about "the woman."

Unknown said...

If this were a soap opera a realistic scenario might be: acid girl was threatened days before attack (hence the search) and the person(s) told her if she ratted them out some sort of secret would be released about said victim. So many odd behaviors, statements and developments here.