Acid attack victim admits injuries were self-inflicted

An American woman who gained sympathy after she claimed a random assailant threw acid in her face has admitted that her injuries were self-inflicted. Clifford Cook, police chief in the Washington state town of Vancouver, said Bethany Storro admitted under police questioning to fabricating a story about the attack, in which she suffered severe burns. Mr Cook said he did not know a motive for Ms Storro's actions, but added she is "very remorseful."



The police chief said that "during the course of the investigation, several discrepancies began to emerge regarding the alleged attack," leading police to search her home and interview her. "During the interview, Ms Storro admitted the injuries were self-inflicted," Mr Cook said. Police had been seeking a black woman with a ponytail after Ms Storro described the Aug. 30 attack. She had said the woman asked her, "Hey, pretty girl, want something to drink?" then threw acid in her face.

After the incident, Ms Storro made several media appearances, but a planned interview on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was cancelled. She said she had received correspondence from people around the world concerned for her well being and donations. Vancouver police Commander Marla Schuman said detectives were working on a way to return any donated funds. She said the alleged attack had stretched the resources of Vancouver's small police department.



"It's been hundreds of hours," she said about the time invested in the investigation. "It really took a toll on the department and the resources that we have." Mr Cook said any decision to charge Ms Storro with a crime would be left to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. "She is extremely upset," Ms Schuman said. "In many ways, this got bigger than she expected."