December 11, 2025
R v Wallace [2018] EWCA Crim 690
Berlinah Wallace threw sulphuric acid over her former partner, causing catastrophic, permanent injuries. He later underwent lawful euthanasia in Belgium. The trial judge withdrew the murder charge, holding causation was broken. The Court of Appeal held the jury could find her acts significantly caused his death and ordered a retrial. Facts Berlinah Wallace and Mark van Dongen had been in a relationship and lived together in Bristol. After the relationship broke down in August 2015, Mr van Dongen moved out and began seeing another woman. The respondent was distressed by this and, on 2 September 2015, she purchased a one‑litre
