A man who was allegedly paid to throw acid over a 22-year-old woman by her ex-boyfriend was threatened that his girlfriend would be “cut up” if he didn’t carry out the attack, a court has heard.

Jason Harrison, who has admitted throwing sulphuric acid over beautician Adele Bellis, told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that he had been reluctant to carry out the attack and had made a number of abortive attempts before eventually doing it on August 14 last year.

He said on one occasion he had tipped the acid out of the jar and claimed he had accidentally dropped it.

He claimed Miss Bellis’s former boyfriend Anthony Riley, had become increasingly impatient after the failed attempts and on one occasion had punched him in the head and face and threatened him with a knife.

He alleged that Riley had also threatened to cut up his girlfriend and “get to his family” if he didn’t go though with the attack on Miss Bellis.

He said that several weeks before that attack he was shown a jar of acid while he was in Riley’s kitchen. He claimed Riley poured some of the acid into a coffee jar and had then put a a live mouse in the acid in the other jar.

He said he had watched the mouse for a few seconds but had then turned away and when he turned back it was dead.

“Riley was laughing,” he told the court.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, Harrison described how on the day of the attack on Miss Bellis he followed her from her home in The Avenue, Lowestoft to a bus stop.

He recalled looking at her as he walked past her and then going into a nearby alleyway.

He said he wasn’t going to throw the acid over Miss Bellis but had then thought about the threats Riley had allegedly made to him and had walked back towards her, unscrewing the lid of the jar containing the acid as did so.

“I looked roughly where she was and threw it in her face,” he told the court.

He said he had run off and had later allegedly been paid £500 by Riley.

Riley, 27, of Raglan Street, Lowestoft and Leon Thompson, 39, of Alma Road, Lowestoft have denied conspiring to throw sulphuric acid over Miss Bellis with intent to maim or disfigure her.

They have also denied conspiring to wound Miss Bellis with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm between March 1- April 30 last year

Riley has further denied falsely imprisoning Miss Bellis on or about March 15 last year and Thompson has denied having a Stanley knife and wounding Miss Bellis with intent to do her grievous bodily harm on April 29 last year.

Harrison, 28, of Princes Road, Lowestoft and Marshall, of Rose Court, Lowestoft, have admitted their part in the attack on Miss Bellis.

The court has heard that Miss Bellis was left with horrific injuries after Riley allegedly paid Harrison to throw acid over her.

The acid landed on her face and head and burned into her skin and through her clothes causing and she spent three weeks in hospital undergoing skin grafts and extensive reconstructive surgery to areas of her body including her face, thighs and hand.

As a result of the attack Miss Bellis lost her right ear and had been left partially bald and disfigured for life.

The trial, which is now in its second week, continues tomorrow.