A Quebec man accused of splashing acid on his girlfriend made a brief appearance in a Montreal courtroom Friday morning amid tight security.
Nikolas Stefanatos, 27, stood with his head down as he appeared before the judge.
He was arrested on Monday and charged with aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm. Police say a bucket of acid was splashed on his girlfriend, 29-year-old Tanya St-Arnauld, in Longueuil following an argument.
The incident left the woman with no hair and third-degree burns to her head, face and chest.
With St-Arnauld’s family attending the bail hearing, the scene in the courtroom was “very tense,” legal affairs reporter Stephane Giroux told CTV News Channel.
Giroux said Stefanatos avoided eye contact and didn’t speak at all, other than to say he agreed with the postponement of his bail hearing so that his lawyer would have more time to prepare.
Defence lawyer Melanie Gregoire said the hearing was postponed to give lawyers a chance to prepare a bail condition proposal.
Crown prosecutors say they will oppose bail in the case. Stefanatos was already due in court for breaching the conditions of an unrelated assault case involving another woman, Giroux reported on Friday.
St-Arnauld is being treated at the burn unit of the Hotel Dieu hospital in Montreal.
Following the court appearance Friday, the victim’s brother told reporters that she is now awake and is slowly recovering after being in a medically induced coma earlier in the week. He said her eyes and most of her face are intact and that the worst burns are on her arms. She has burns to 70 per cent of her body and is still covered in bandages.
St-Arnauld’s brother Maxime Gosselin said doctors have told the family that most of St-Arnauld’s wounds should heal well.
“We are not sure if she saw herself in the mirror yet, but, you know, she is angry as well. She has seen her arms and everything,” he said.
Police said later on Friday they were awaiting the results of lab tests before disclosing what kind of acid was used in the attack. But they said it was probably a common cleaning product.
"It's a house cleaning product, a bit like Drano or something," Const. Martin Simard of the Longueuil police told The Canadian Press.
Stefanatos was remanded into custody and will next appear in court for a new bail hearing Sept. 12.
With files from the Canadian Press
