Man who threw corrosive liquid on guest at spiritual retreat and fled country is jailed

A man has been jailed for 18 months after throwing a "corrosive substance" at a guest's face at a spiritual retreat and fleeing the country.

Dean Mayze, 38, admitted grievous bodily harm after the incident following a disagreement at the retreat he ran in Abercrave, Powys, in December 2022.

Mayze fled abroad afterwards, triggering a manhunt by South Wales Police, with bank payments made in Dublin, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece before he was eventually arrested in Romania in July 2025.

His victim, who described his eyes as "exploding with pain", had to receive intense medical treatment to avoid permanent loss of sight.

At the sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, prosecutor Georgia Donohue said the attack happened after a disagreement between Mayze and a guest at his business, Hafan y Coed.

The court heard that Keifer Price was unhappy with his lodge, saying there was no washing facilities or heating.

Price cancelled his room and started to move his things out when a row developed between Mayze and Price.

Mayze then took out a "blue container" and threw it in an "upwards motion" onto Price's face.

The prosecutor told the court the liquid, which smelt like ammonia, "went up his nose and in his eyes" and left Price struggling to breathe, with his eyes "exploding with pain".

Mayze's girlfriend told the victim the substance was to "ward off intruders" and should wear off after an hour or two.

Price received intense medical treatment to avoid permanent loss of sight, with the injury described by doctors as "consistent with a chemical injury to both eyes."

The victim suffered a corneal defect and abrasions and a complete loss of the outer corneal layer to one eye, but has no ongoing injuries.

After leaving the country, the court heard Mayze remained in "constant communication" with the police over email and text.

It later emerged he had travelled to Disneyland in France and then went to "various countries across Europe" before ending up in Greece, from where he contacted detectives to tell them he would not be returning to Wales.

His girlfriend - who had met up with him while he was on the run abroad - had handed herself in to police. She claimed she was responsible for the offence but she was later given a suspended jail sentence for perverting the course of justice.

Dyfed-Powys Police put a public appeal on social media, which Mayze would comment on outside of jurisdiction.

The court heard Mayze, who has a previous conviction for wounding with a corrosive substance on a night out in Kent in 2013, still owns the wellness retreat in Abercrave.

Defence barrister Andrew Taylor said the defendant had spent time in a prison in Romania where he contracted scabies and was unable to receive medical treatment, adding: "The punishment he [Mayze] received abroad will be far worse than anything he can receive in His Majesty's Prison."

He described his client as an "industrious and hard-working person who wants to make something of his life", and said he was "remorseful" for what happened.

Judge Geraint Walters told Mayze that it was "luck" that Price did not suffer any permanent injuries, and that he did not know "what he'd signed up for" when he fled abroad.

He described the offence as a "particularly wicked way of inflicting violence upon another".

Mayze, who appeared via video link from prison, had previously pleaded not guilty to a second charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and given a restraining order for three years.