Acid attack violence in London soars by more than 78 per cent

Statistics released by the Met today show there were 465 violent “corrosive liquid” offences recorded in the capital in 2017
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Justin Davenport10 January 2018
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The number of violent acid attacks in London has soared by more than 78 per cent over the past two years with a huge increase in the number of victims, according to the latest figures.

Statistics released by the Met today show there were 465 violent “corrosive liquid” offences recorded in the capital in 2017, up from 260 in 2015.

Last year there were 397 incidents. Separate figures show the number of victims rose from 281 in the whole of 2015 to 487 in the 10 months to October last year.

The data — obtained from the Met police under a Freedom of Information request — also revealed:

  •  Younger people are most likely to be victims of acid attacks, with more than 50 per cent of offences involving victims aged between 10 and 29. 

  •  Most victims are also male, 351 in the 10 months last year, with the percentage of female victims falling significantly in the last 10 years.  

  •  Most suspects in the past three years are in the 10-19 age group and the vast majority are male. 

Raising awareness: Jabed hussain suffered facial burns

The figures — obtained by London Assembly Conservative member Steve O’Connell — also show fewer suspects are being charged compared to previous years.

Only 19 per cent of offences resulted in a charge in 2017, down from over 25 per cent in 2015 — though police say many inquiries from last year are still ongoing.

Injured moped rider: attackers deserve life

 

A moped delivery rider targeted during a teenage robber’s  90-minute acid attack rampage has called for tougher sentences to deter assailants.

Jabed Hussain was one of six moped riders sprayed with strong acid by Derryck John, 17, during his attacks across north and east London in July. The 33-year-old, from Tower Hamlets, said attackers should be given life sentences as a deterrent.

He added: “If they throw acid at someone’s face, the person may not die but they will carry that pain until they die — on their face, where they can’t hide it.”

Mr Hussain,  originally from Bangladesh, suffered facial burns which have since healed but continues to have breathing problems and chest pains. The former Uber Eats driver has yet to return to work and said he still remains concerned for his safety. 

He welcomed Government proposals to restrict the sale of corrosive substances to stop  under-18s buying them but described the measures as “not enough”. He added: “The Government want to cut off the top of the tree, they don’t want to go from the bottom. They should go to where the boys are. They are bored at home, they have nowhere to go.” Since the attack Mr Hussain has been campaigning to raise awareness of acid attacks. He said: “Compared with other victims I’m very lucky, so I’m the person who is speaking up.”

The figures come days after a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to carrying out acid attacks on six delivery riders in London in an attempt to steal their mopeds.

Derryck John, from Croydon, sprayed the riders in the face with a noxious liquid, leaving one of the victims with life-changing injuries.

Victims included aspiring model Resham Khan, 21, who had acid squirted in her face as she waited at a traffic light in a car in Beckton last June.

Attack: Resham Khan has been left with scars over her face and body

Newham was identified as the worst borough for violent acid attacks with 289 offences since 2015.

Figures obtained by the Tories show there were a total of 768 acid offences in the 10 months to October last year, with 43 per cent involving damage to property, compared to 622 in the whole of 2016 and 439 in 2015.

The figures also show that very few of the offences — around 22 last year — were classified by police as hate crimes, reflecting concern that gangs and muggers are increasingly using acid as a weapon in attacks.

Mr O’Connell, the Tory London Assembly spokesman on policing and crime, said: “These figures paint a clear and disturbing picture of the scale and circumstance of these horrific offences.

Victim: Resham Khan immediately after the attack in east London in June
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"This data suggests acid attacks, as with knife crime, are a youth-related issue. If we are going to get serious about preventing this rise we need to tackle the root causes of these attacks.”

He criticised Mayor Sadiq Khan, saying: “Statistics show knife crime, acid attacks and moped-related crime is all on the rise on his watch.”

Detective Superintendent Mike West said the rise in the number of attacks was slowing, adding: “In December 2017 we saw the lowest volume of violent offences since November 2015, with 16 victims identified.

Derryck John, 17, attacked six delivery riders
PA

"This is compared with 86 victims in July 2017, when we experienced unprecedented numbers of corrosive attacks and cases of multiple people injured at the same time.”

Jaf Shah, head of Acid Survivors Trust International, said the number of acid attacks had been rising since 2014.

He said: “We need to tackle the root causes. Gangs and youth criminality are often linked to social deprivation, disenfranchisement and lack of positive male role models.”

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