Jealous boy who blinded man with caustic substance in botched revenge attack in Peace and Love commune jailed for 15 years

A jealous boy who blinded a man by throwing sodium hydroxide in his face in Britain’s oldest self-contained community has been jailed for 15 years.

Jeevan Dean, 24, threw a caustic substance into the eyes of Raven Riley, 20, in the ‘peace and love’ community known as Teepee Valley in west Wales on August 14.

Dean was seen heating a liquid in a pan on the stove before attacking Mr. Riley, who he mistakenly believed was making out with his girlfriend.

He was blinded in both eyes and suffered burns to his head, face, neck and chest as a result of the attack, Swansea Crown Court was told.

As Dean threw the boiling hot liquid from only four feet away, he yelled, “Stay away from my girlfriend.”

Mr Riley only met his girlfriend once and Dean was there at the time, the court heard.

Mr Riley ran to find a cold water tap, screaming in pain and shouting: “Help, help, it’s on fire, I can’t see.”

The leather chair in which Mr. Riley was sitting and objects in the room were also seething with the strong chemical solution.

Judge Geraint Walters said Dean had acted out of revenge, describing it as a “deliberate act to maim and permanently destroy a person’s life”.

Swansea Crown Court was shown harrowing photographs of Mr Riley, whose eyes had turned white and “opaque” from the liquid.

On August 14, Mr Riley was visiting friends in Teepee Valley, near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, when Dean, a stranger, attacked him.

Tipi Valley is an autonomous eco-community established in 1976 near the village of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire.

The community consists of a collection of 100 Native American-style teepees and eco-lodges in the Welsh Valley, established in the 1970s.

Prosecutor Carina Hughes said: “Dean arrived and had a bag with him. They exchanged pleasantries, there were no questions or problems between them.

“But Dean had suspicions that his girlfriend was having some kind of contact with Mr. Riley. But he only met her once when the defendant was there.

“There was an atmosphere, Dean making weird facial expressions, laughing to himself and talking under his breath.

“They saw him put a white substance in a pot of hot water. When asked, he said it was ketamine.

“The defendant approached Mr. Riley and threw the hot contents at Mr. Riley from a distance of four to five feet. Throwing him away, he said, “Stay away from my girlfriend.” Mr Riley was taken to West Wales General Hospital, blind and in severe pain.

A nationwide manhunt was launched for Dean, who was arrested two days later in the Llanelli area. Tests carried out on his clothes showed traces of sodium hydroxide.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Riley said: “He ruined my life. The nightmares don’t stop and affect my mental health.

“Two months after the incident, my life is in limbo. My independence was taken away in a terrible way.

“I can’t read and see only blurred shapes. I need help doing simple things and relying on others.

“I have to put in three sets of eye drops every three hours so I can blink.

“I used to have long, curly hair, but my hair will never grow back. I will never look the same again.

Mr Riley, who spent his 21st birthday in hospital, said Dean’s reckless actions had “turned his life upside down”.

Dean, of no fixed abode, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and causing a dangerous or noxious substance to be obtained with intent to burn, maim or disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm.

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, the last four years to be served on license.