Jealousy leads to a devastating attack in Bristol | Forensic Files

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preferred platform in Late July 2015 28-year-old civil engineer Mark Van dongan was using an
online dating site when he met a woman named a violet like Mark Violet lived in the
English City of Bristol the two chatted online for a week before deciding to meet up for a
coffee the first date went so well that they arranged to go to the cinema together a few days later
affection quickly blossomed and by mid August the pair were contemplating a serious
relationship there was just one problem Mark already had a girlfriend 5 years earlier he' met a
40-year-old South African woman named berina Wallace through an online dating site despite the 18-year age gap between
the two and the fact they lived in different countries they hit it off Mark had been living in his home
country of the Netherlands at the time while Bina was living in the United Kingdom Mark flew to the UK to take Bina
on a date and the two became intimate Mark returned to the Netherlands shortly after but a few
weeks later Bina contacted him with some news she told him she was pregnant Mark wanted to do the decent
thing so he relocated to the UK he moved in with biner in Bristol enrolled in University and found work as an engineer
on a large construction project but after a few months Bina told Mark she'd miscarried the
baby Mark stayed in the relationship regardless having developed strong feelings for Belina the majority of his
income was used to support Bina as well as her family back in South [Music] Africa over the years the relationship
struggled and by the time Mark met Violet he'd been been planning to leave Bina for a
while he admitted the truth about his relationship status to Violet and she wasn't exactly pleased by the news the
two decided to stop seeing each other until Mark sorted himself out a few days later Mark contacted
Violet to say he'd ended things with Bina and was moving into a hotel Mark and violet agreed to rekindle
their romance however Mark urged Violet not to send any more emails to his current
address his ex-girlfriend Bina Wallace had hacked his account at the end of August Mark
checked out of his hotel room and moved in with Violet on the day he arrived Violet was
shocked by what she saw Mark had a fingernail gouge Mark around his neck and nearly a dozen 4in
gouges on his back and chest when Violet asked what happened Mark said Bina had attacked
him later that day Violet began receiving Anonymous phone calls when she picked up the caller on the other line
remained silent over the next 72 hours she received 13 more of these calls meanwhile Mark's Mobile phone was
ringing Around the Clock it was Bina Wallace and she was not happy Bina switched between screaming at
Mark to crying and hyperventilating on September 2 Bina made a call that finally pushed Mark
over the edge he contacted the police telling the operator I split up with my girlfriend
and she keeps calling me now she's blackmailing me [Music] Mark Van dongan told the emergency
operator that when he ended things with berina Wallace two weeks earlier she'd threatened to stab herself she didn't go
through with this threat but instead grabbed a handful of pills and swallowed them in front of Mark he phoned for an
ambulance and Belina was taken to hospital after Mark moved out she harassed him with phone calls and text
messages finally he received an email from Bina claiming that a close friend of hers had suffered a heart attack she
accused Mark of abandoning her in her time of need and demanded that he call her
immediately Mark reluctant ly made the call BINA was sobbing saying she wouldn't stop crying until Mark came to
see her in person Mark refused asking Bina to just leave him and his new girlfriend
alone he hung up but Bina kept trying to call him back Mark eventually picked up Bina
screamed that if he didn't do what she wanted she'd call the police and tell them Mark had been downloading child
abuse images exasperated Mark called the police emergency line telling the operator
something needs to be done about it the next day Mark went to the local police station and showed an officer the
dozens of text messages and emails Bina Wallace had sent him the officer believed the messages were pleading in
nature rather than harassing but she agreed to speak with berina regardless later that day the officer
visited Belina at her flat and explained that Mark vanan had lodged a complaint against her she urged Bina to seek help
from her GP if she was struggling with the breakup the officer was also aware that
Mark had agreed to continue paying bina's bills and the University tuition for her fashion
degree she recommended that Bina contact an Advice Line if she was struggling financially the officer explained that
the silent phone calls to Violet's flat could be easily traced if necessary and instructed Bina to cease all contact
with Mark and his new [Music] girlfriend less than 3 weeks later on September 21 Mark received another
message from Bina she said she was so devastated by their breakup that she planned to quit
her University course and returned to South Africa she wanted Mark to give her money
to pay for the plane ticket Mark refused the next day Bina called Mark begging him to come see
her given bina's history of self harm Mark worried about what she might do to herself he told Bina he would go to her
flat that evening but first Mark went home to Violet he reassured her that he was committed to their relationship but
felt that he needed to do this Marco arrived at bina's flat on lady Smith Road at about 6:00
p.m. as they prepared dinner they chattered about their relationship Mark reiterated that he had
no intention of getting back together an argument broke out and at around 1: p.m.
Belina packed a few belongings and left the flat saying she was going to check into a
hotel given the late hour mark decided to stay in the flight overnight he undressed her down to his box of
shorts and slipped into bed soon he was sound asleep at 3:00 a.m. bina's neighbor
Thomas awoke to a screeching sound that he thought was foxes fighting he grabbed a club from his golf
bag intending to break up the scuffle but when he stepped outside he realized it wasn't foxes some was screaming the
words help me Thomas ran to the end of Lady Smith Road and found Mark Van dongan wearing
nothing but boxer shorts he was clearly in distress but Thomas didn't understand
what was happening he thought perhaps Mark had taken LSD and was having a bad trip it
looked like he'd been to a rave his face and upper body were covered in dark gray
paint a split second later Thomas realized his mistake he asked Mark what had happened
in a high-pitched distress Mark cried out someone threw assd or something over me can't you
see Thomas immediately called Emergency Services when the operator instructed Thomas to ask Mark who did this to him
Mark responded my ex the operator told Thomas to take mark to a shower and have him thoroughly wash
his entire body other neighbors had emerged from their houses and one offered the use of
his bathroom as the group ushered the still screaming mark back down lady Smith Road
his distress increased he fearfully pointed at a flat and said she lives there she lives there
the group assured him he was being taken to a different flat when Mark stepped into the harsh
lighting of the bathroom Thomas was shocked by what he saw he reassured Mark that an ambulance and police were on the
way Mark replied they need to be here she needs to pay paramedics quickly arrived to rush
Mark to hospital but all they could do was feed him a constant supply of pain relieving gas along the
way even so Mark continued to scream in agony me he implored a police officer who was
riding with them to check if his girlfriend Violet was okay he then pointed to a tattoo on his
lower stomach it was the name Bina Mark told the officer she needs to go to prison for
this throughout the 2-mile journey Mark's distress escalated he kept shouting about his eyes saying that he
could hardly see he begged those in the ambulance to tell him if he still had eyelids on arrival he was taken to the
hospital's decontamination unit through the haze of his failing eyesight Mark caught a brief glimpse of
his own reflection he screamed kill me now the hospital's emergency doctor determined that Mark Van dongan had been
doused with highly corrosive concentrated sulfuric acid the acid had first covered Mark's
entire face and then splashed down his body within seconds of the acid making contact Mark's skin had been burned
turning to blackened dead tissue by the time he arrived at the hospital the skin on his face had melted
away his nose had completely disintegrated and his left ear and both eyelids were
gone his eyes had turned gray and they were dissolving Mark slipped into a coma officers converged on Bina
Wallace's flat berina was sitting in her living room appearing completely calm and
collected in front of her was a tail with a pair of acid wash jeans on top next to the jeans was a paintbrush
and a glass mug with a few drops of clear liquid inside one of the officers asked
Berliner if she knew what substance had injured Mark Bina gestured to the items on the
floor and replied acid I was using it to distress some fabric the liquid in the mug had come
from a white plastic bottle officers found on the kitchen table it had no label but contained a clear odorless
liquid that proved to be sulfuric acid berina claimed she'd originally bought the acid to clean out some of the
flat smelly drains when officers went into the bedroom they saw what looked like a
black tar splashed all over the bed upon closer inspection they realized the substance was actually the white
cotton bedding melted by acid the blackened patches were concentrated on two pillows and a
particular section of the duvet Belina Wallace was arrested and taken into custody she claimed that just before
3:00 a.m. she and Mark had gotten into an argument he became violent and started to pull on her
underwear to defend herself Bina picked up a glass from the bedside table and threw its contents on
Mark she assumed it was filled with water as Mark always poured her a glass before bed
prior to their fight he told her to use it to take her medication but when she saw Mark's skin
turn black and smoke start to rise Bina realized it wasn't water mark began screaming in pain so
Bina rushed him into the shower before going to grab some paper towels to wipe him
down Bina told the detectives that Mark had put the acid into the glass himself saying he wanted me to burn my insides
can you imagine can you imagine Mark betrayed me detectives asked Bina why she didn't
call for an ambulance after Mark ran out of the flat screaming in pain Bina said
it hadn't even crossed her mind explaining you know I was just confused about loads of things I was confused
[Music] detectives didn't buy Bina Wallace's story for a second she said she'd purchased the acid to clean the flat
strains but these were tested and it was clear they hadn't been cleaned in quite
some time berina was charged with the offense of throwing a corrosive substance with
the intent to burn MIM disfigure or disable Mark Van dongan with Mark in a coma and unable to
assist the investigation police turned turned to his family and friends to help according to Mark's father case his
son had sought Medical Care 4 years earlier for burns to his arm Mark had told the doctor he'd
dropped a hot cup of tea over himself but that was a lie after arguing about something
insignificant berina crept up behind him while he was sitting on the sofa and threw boiling water over his
arm case explained that Mark had always been more in love with Bina than she was
with him but Bina was Jealous by Nature Mark had confided in his dad that Belina sometimes hid herself in the face
so she looked bruised and beaten she'd then threatened to report Mark for domestic violence if he ever left
her to prevent him from returning to the Netherlands or checking into a hotel she
sometimes stole his passport and hid it a colleague of marks recalled that Mark had once lifted his shirt to reveal
fingernail gouge marks across his back and chest some were fresh While others had already begun to heal and
Scar Mark was a tall strong man often referred to as a gentle giant when he stood next to berina he towered over her
petite frame yet in the months leading up to the attack Mark had confided in his
father and friends that he was becoming more and more afraid of BINA and what she might be capable
of detectives obtained a warrant to access Berlin's psychological history they discovered that in December 2013
she'd spoken with a university counselor about her anger issues she had admitted
to being physically violent with people and to using threatening and intimidating Behavior especially towards
Mark in a session with the university psychiatric nurse the following year Bina had described feeling an adrenaline
rush whenever she felt wronged by someone she said it made her want to destroy everything around
her after Mark ended their relationship Bina told this same nurse that she wasn't coping she felt depressed anxious
betrayed and angry berina had deleted her internet search history but police were able to
recover it a for search of her phone and computer revealed that in the days leading up to the attack berina had
accessed 82 sites that showed the damage sulfuric acid burns could do to a human
being she viewed dozens of articles about victims who'd been horribly disfigured after having sulfuric acid
thrown in their faces most of which were accompanied by graphic photographs berin also Googled phrases
such as what happens when you swallow sulfuric acid and can I die from drinking sulfuric
acid on the same day that Mark Van dongan contacted police asking that something be done about Berlin's
blackmail threat she visited the online store Amazon for just over 17 Belina bought a
1 lit bottle of 98% concentration sulfuric acid the following day an officer visited her to request that she stop
contacting mark after the officer left berina founded a mental health crisis hotline and told
the operator she'd swallowed a handful of pills an ambulance was dispatched and Bina was taken to hospital but
discharged the following day a few days later the bottle of sulfuric acid arrived at some point Bina removed the
bottles label which featured a very clear warning that the contents caused severe burns and Di damage
one of bina's online searches had led her to a case from 15 years prior in which Birmingham man Andrew Gardner had
allegedly tricked his former girlfriend into drinking sulfuric acid as a last toast to Mark the end of their
relationship the victim 27-year-old doctor Karenina L cried in agony for 23 minutes before Gardner called for an
ambulance by that time the had destroyed karenina's mouth throat and internal organs she died in Hospital hours later
while Gardner drank beer at a local pub he claimed that Karenina had drunk the acid herself either mistaking it for
a glass of water or intentionally to take her own life at Gardner's murder trial the jury
wasn't convinced by the prosecution's evidence and the accused walked free detectives couldn't help but note the
similarities between this case and Berlin's claimed that Mark had tried to trick her into drinking acid it was
possible that she'd been inspired by Andrew Gardner's defense as a means to get away with her own
crime Mark's injuries were the most extensive and extreme that surgeons had ever seen so much so that photos of his
injuries were withheld from the inves netive team on account of being too disturbing not long after Mark lost
Consciousness he'd been taken into surgery so that all of the dead tissue on his face and body could be cut
away healthy sections of his skin from other parts of his body were removed and grafted over the exposed
areas by the time surgeons had completed the multiple procedures nearly half of Mark's entire body surface had been
impacted his face was dis figured and he was blind in one eyee while doctors were
only just able to save a tiny fraction of sight in the other they had no choice but to amputate
his left leg almost every internal function of Mark's Body had been affected his heart
liver and kidneys had all been permanently compromised while his weakened gastrointestinal system caused
him to bleed from his Bell the damage to Mark's throat was so severe that a tube was inserted down his
throat to keep his Airways open multiple lung infections prompted the use of a tracheostomy tube to remove
the fluid from his lungs and prevent him choking to death on a number of occasions he went
inter septic shock causing his blood pressure to drop to potentially fatal levels doctors battled constantly to
keep Mark alive then in January 2016 4 months after he slipped into a coma Mark Van
dongan woke [Music] up as Mark regained Consciousness the full extent of his injuries became
clear the acid had so severely damaged his motor nerves that he was completely paralyzed unable to move from the neck
down it had also eaten away at his vocal cords rendering him unable to speak a word yet Mark's ability to feel
remained in some parts of his body the acid had decimated the muscle tissue because the acid was impossible
for doctors to remove or neutralized completely small traces of it continue to slowly erode Mark's
bones meanwhile the severe scarring all over Mark's skin caused unbearable itching doctors administered a constant
flow of morphine but it wasn't enough every second brought Mark excruciating [Music]
pain Mark remained confined to his hospital bed in the Intensive Care Unit where a team of 29 Specialists managed
his constant care he was fed intravenously and relied on a ventilator dialysis machine and
catheter frequent surgical procedures were necessary to ensure his survival Mark's father case lived and
worked in Belgium while Mark was comos case traveled to England every Friday afternoon and stayed with Mark all
weekend returning to Belgium in time for work on Monday after Mark woke up case never
left the hospital he remained by his son's bedside for 23 hours a day case talked to Mark hoping his voice
would provide him with something to cling to at times case noticed a flicker of responsiveness in Mark's face he tried
everything he could to help provide his son with some relief he scratched Mark's itching skin
and rearranged his limbs to weas the nerve pain over time case helped Mark to relearn how to
communicate case developed a painstaking system whereby he pointed to which letter of the alphabet written on a
piece of paper when he reached the letter Mark needed mark would stick out his tongue allowing him to spell out
words when asked who was responsible for his injuries Mark spelled berina eventually doctors were able to
fit a speaking valve to the end of the tube in Mark's throat in July 2016 after 5 months of
speech therapy Mark regained some of his voice detectives took this opportunity to interview him in
hospital Mark recalled the night of the attack in Vivid detail at around 3: a.m. he recalled
waking up in the dark to the sound of laughter in the bedroom he heard bina's voice say if I can't have you no one
can something then struck Mark in the face it burned like hell and Mark let out a
terrified scream as he scrambled out of bed the pain moved from his face down to his
arms and chest he ran from the bedroom and out into the street screaming along with the ongoing
physical pain Mark was plagued by recurring night terrors and flashbacks of the attack he was diagnosed with depression
and post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed anti-depressants Mark's biggest desire
was to regain some Mobility he committed everything he had to intensive daily physiotherapy
sessions after months and months Mark had a major breakthrough when he managed to lightly tickle his father's hand when
placed near his [Music] own Mark understood that he'd require extensive round-the-clock care for the
rest of his life and would always be in constant agonizing pain regardless he clung to a glimmer of
hope that he could have something closer to a normal life and eventually he raised the possibility of being
discharged into a care home case suggested they both go back to Belgium but Mark was Keen to stay in
England with a violet she remained committed to their relationship and visited him in hospital every
day on November 22 2016 after 11 months in the ICU Mark's wishes were granted when he was transferred to a care
home mark insisted that his father return to Belgium and resume his normal life later that same day case received a
distraught phone call from Mark Case knew immediately that he had to get his son out of the care home he
jumped into his car and drove the 8 hour from Belgium back to England arriving at
the care home in the early hours of the morning while waiting for a more reasonable time to approach he decided
to take a quick nap in the front seat but case soon heard screaming and he knew right away that those screams
were coming from his son case ran up to the home and banged frantically on the door eventually a
staff member opened it when case entered Mark's room he was shocked by what he found Mark was lying on the bed covered
in his own feces the staff had refused to go anywhere near him too terrified of his
appearance case hired a private ambulance and Mark was transferred to a hospital in Belgium that same day where
he was placed in a pallative care unit while a team of eight Specialists assessed Mark's condition case remained
by his side until the nurses became accustomed to his appearance by the end of November Mark
was informed of his prognosis no amount of physical therapy would ever restore movement to his body
the paralysis was permanent for Mark this was the straw that broke the camel's back he had
nothing left and wished to end his life on December 1 mark submitted an application for voluntary
euthanasia case could do nothing but support his son's wishes euthanasia was lawful under
Belgian law provided strict control requirements were followed specially qualified doctors and psychologists
assessed Mark's application they considered Mark to be mentally competent and found that his
application had been made freely and voluntarily They concluded that Mark was and would remain in a medically futile
state of unbearable physical and psychological suffering his application was approved the law required Mark to wait
for a period of 30 days before the euthanasia could be performed case tried to convince Mark to
come home with him during that time but Mark refused saying it would be just another ceiling to look
at one week before the procedure was due to be carried out Mark developed another
lung infection another tracheostomy tube was needed to remove the fluid from his
lungs doctors told Mark that without it there was a high chance he would choke and
die however doctors also explained that if they did go ahead with the procedure there was a 96% chance it would further
damage his vocal cords and he could lose his voice completely Mark's only wish was to be able to talk
to his dad until the very last second he declined the treatment by January 2 2017 15 and A2
months had passed since the acid attack at 7:15 p.m. that day Mark shared a final drink with his father and said
goodbye doctors administered the lethal injection into Mark's heart after Mark's death case told channel 4
news that boy went through hell and back so much pain so much itching enough to drive anyone insane completely
paralyzed getting a bullet would be better in comparison this has been nothing short
of torture it defies belief [Music] when news of Mark's death reached England Bina Wallace was immediately
charged with another crime murder her trial commenced 9 months later in November
2017 belina's defense team contested the murder charge claiming there was no case
to answer because Mark Van dongan had chosen to end his own life the judge decided that the
euthanasia was a voluntary act that broke the link between the acid attack committed by Bina and Mark's death for a
murder charge to apply an unbroken link was legally required the judge therefore ordered
that the charge of murder be withdrawn the prosecution immediately appealed and 9 days later the appeal
court handed down its ruling even though Mark's decision to die was voluntary for the purpose of the
Belgian law on euthanasia it did not aut atically mean his death was voluntary in
the context of how and why he came to that decision the appeal Court ruled that the
link had not been severed from a legal standpoint whether it had been factually severed was a question to be put to a
jury in May 2018 Berlin Wallace stood trial on both charges throwing the acid with intent as well as
murder she tested justified in her own defense sticking to the story that Mark himself had filled the glass with acid
and tried to trick her into drinking it before launching an assault Belina told the jury that she
threw what she thought was water over Mark just to make him stop through tears she insisted that she
hadn't meant to hurt him Belina claimed she did never even read the articles about other acid
attacks that were found in her online search history she said she only looked at the pictures of the victims out of
curiosity labeling the timing as just a coincidence just bad luck the jury heard a recording of
Mark's 2016 Hospital interview with detectives in which Mark detailed Belina Wallace's controlling and violent
behavior during their 5-year relationship he described waking up on the night of the attack to Bina laughing
and repeated what she' said just before throwing the acid on face if I can't have you no one
can the Judge instructed the jury to consider a series of questions to reach their verdicts on the first count the
jury had to decide whether bina's Act of throwing acid over Mark was deliberate if so was it done with the intention of
causing Mark serious bodily harm the jury's decision here was unanimous Belina Wallace was guilty
however for Bina to be guilty of the second count murder the jury had two more questions to
consider the first was whether the acid attack caused Mark's death while the attack didn't need to be
the only cause the jury had to be satisfied that it was a significant cause if their answer was no or if they
were unsure they were required to acquit Bina but if they had no doubt that bina's attack was a significant cause of
Mark's death there was one final question to consider could berina have predicted
that Mark might choose to end his own life as a result of his injuries if the answer was yes then
berina would be guilty after 15 and 1 half hours of deliberation the jury reached their
verdict they found Belina Wallace not guil of [Music] murder addressing berina directly the
judge called her a manipulative and controlling woman who lied without compunction or conscience in an attempt
to avoid culpability she stated your intention was to burn disfigure and disable Mark Van dongan so
that he would not be attractive to any other woman you ignored Mark's cries of pain and
chose not to telephone the Emergency Services when you would have known that Mark urgently required medical help you
caused Mark catastrophic and life-changing injuries and 15 months of intense physical and psychological
suffering it was premeditated and sadistic it was an act of pure raval for the acid attack on Mark Van
dongan Belina Wallace was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 Years starting from the date of her
arrest berina will be eligible for parole in 2027 although the judge stressed that berina would only ever be
released if she no longer posed a danger to the public the attack on Mark in 2015 was
just one of hundreds of acid attacks across the United Kingdom that year in response to the alarming rise of acid
being used as a weapon the government introduced new restrictions to make it more difficult to
obtain from July 2018 a special license was required to purchase sulfuric acid in any concentration above
15% this regulation would have prevented Belina Wallace from attacking Mark Van dongan with such a devastating
substance the UK's then Minister for crime safeguarding and vulner ability told the
press this tragic case illustrates the devastating consequences of acid attacks and we are determined to end these
appalling acts of violence belina's life sentence brought little relief to Mark's father who had
described his son as a gentle man and everyone's friend case ultimately felt that Mark
was too good for this world addressing reporters after the while case was shaking as he
said Mark was so brave when confronted with the hellish pain and disabilities inflicted upon him but eventually it all
became too much for him to Bear the court process has been a difficult and emotional
experience I am very disappointed in the outcome of this trial there are only losers in this
case I hope that Mark can now rest in [Music] [Music] peace e

Case 288: Mark Van Dongen

*** Content warnings: Domestic violence, suicide ***

Dutch national Mark van Dongen met South African Berlinah Wallace in 2010 in Bristol, England. After 5 years together, Mark decided he wanted to end the relationship. He finally broke it off in August 2015 when he met someone new.

When Berlinah Wallace refused to accept Mark’s decision, she became so consumed with anger and jealousy that she did the unthinkable. Her actions lead to devastating consequences.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-288-mark-van-dongen

Brief Summary

Mark Van dongan suffers a horrific acid attack by ex-girlfriend Bina Wallace, leading to devastating injuries and a tragic end.

Key points

Mark's Online Dating Journey. Mark meets Violet online, but has a complicated past with Bina.
The Acid Attack. Mark is brutally attacked with sulfuric acid by Bina, leading to severe injuries.
Bina's Arrest. Bina is arrested after the attack on Mark, claiming self-defense.
Mark's Painful Journey. Mark endured unimaginable suffering after the acid attack, leading to his tragic decision for euthanasia.
Trial of Belina Wallace. Belina Wallace faced trial for Mark's murder, but the jury found her not guilty.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I split up with my girlfriend and she keeps calling me now she's blackmailing me.

Mark's desperate call to the police about Bina's harassment

4:47WatchJun 15, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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