A woman left disfigured after her ex-lover sprayed her in the face with acid has faced her attacker in a Brussels court.

Patricia Lefranc spent three months in a coma after Richard Remes, 57, threw sulphuric into her face as she stepped out of a lift in 2009.

Lefranc, who has endured 86 operations since the attack, insisted on being in court as Remes faces charges of attempted murder.

The 48-year-old, who lost the sight in her left eye and hearing in one ear, said she is “determined to look him in the eye and show the jury what he has done to me.”

More than two years on since the attack, the acid is continuing to affect Lefranc’s skin. Her nose is slowly being eaten away and will soon need to be replaced with a prosthetic.

She told the Daily Mail: “'I hope Remes is convicted of attempted murder, and not just for assault and battery with torture. He did not just want to hurt me, he wanted me out of the way. I just hope that I get to tell the court what I experienced, and how it hurt.”

Remes has apologised for the attack but denies he tried to maim her, claiming he did not realise the acid would have such a devastating effect.