02 February 2024 , 11:01
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Nearly 500 acid attacks were reported last year, alarming figures reveal, as detectives are still hunting a man suspected of dousing a woman and children in a corrosive substance.
Some 472 attacks in which suspected acidic or corrosive substances were thrown at victims were reported to police in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The real figure may be greater, with one charity reporting last year that attacks had risen by 69 per cent.
Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) which supports victims of attacks found there were 710 attacks in 2022, compared with 421 in 2021, adding that forces including Police Scotland had not responded to their freedom of information request meaning the true extent remains unknown.
The terrifying figures are laid bare as a national manhunt was launched on Thursday after 11 people were taken to hospital over an attack using an as yet unidentified alkaline substance.
Police are still searching for 35-year-old convicted sex offender Abdul Shokoor Ezedi from Newcastle after an attack on a 31-year-old woman who was with her daughters, aged three and eight. They remain in hospital in a stable condition but may have life-changing injuries.
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Abdul Shokoor Ezedi is wanted in connection with an unidentified alkaline substance attack in Clapham (Met Police)
Ezedi was sighted in a Tesco in Islington on Thursday evening and police say he has an identifiable injury on his face (PA)Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said following the attack in Clapham: "It's understandable that it's frightening. Fortunately, attacks using acid and chemicals are exceedingly rare."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan however has called for "proper enforcement" on how criminals can get hold of any items which could potentially be used as weapons, including household products.
He told Radio 4's World at One: "The problem is, many household products, detergents, paint strippers... that contain ammonia, bleach, caustic soda, can cause huge damage. We've got to make it as difficult as possible to get hold of things like acid, zombie knives and machetes."
Stricter legislation was brought in in 2019 meaning under-18s can no longer buy corrosive substances, as well as making it an offence to be in possession of them in public without good reason. Throwing a corrosive substance at someone to deliberately cause injury can result in being prosecuted for actual or grievous bodily harm with intent, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.