12 February 2024 , 17:48
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The 31-year-old victim of chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi is still sedated in hospital, family friends have said.
Posting on a GoFundMe page to raise money for those attacked in Clapham, south London, they said the extent of the damage to her vision was still unknown. The Met Police say their “main working hypothesis” is that Ezedi plunged into the River Thames from Chelsea Bridge, where he was last seen leaning over railings, hours after he allegedly doused his former partner and her two children with corrosive liquid.
An update on the fundraising site on Sunday, which has now raised more than £41,000, read: “We can’t believe we’ve almost reached £40,000 in just a few days. Every donation, share and comment on this page has been a ray of light during this very difficult time.
Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit near to Chelsea Bridge on February 10 (PA)“So many of us are struggling financially right now, so seeing over 2000 of you contribute really means the world. Beyond the money raised, knowing the family has so much support in the community will be so powerful for their recovery and help them feel safe again.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Mum continues to be sedated in the hospital. We still don’t know the full extent of damage to her vision.
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“We appreciate anything and everything you can do to keep building support. As Katie Piper highlighted in her Instagram post, ‘burns treatment is a long process and going over target is still very much needed.’ Finally, we want to pay tribute to the wonderful NHS staff. The family are getting the best care from an incredibly talented and caring team.”
Commander Jon Savell said on Friday: “Our enquiries continue but we have been very closely following all the available evidence for the past week and indications are now that Ezedi entered the water. We have tracked him since the moment the attack happened walking for four hours through London, in the main hugging the river.
“He is a man who had just carried out the most horrific attack, and was suffering from significant injuries himself which must have been causing him an extraordinary amount of pain.
“It is just over four miles from Tower Hill, where he was seen leaving the tube station, to Chelsea Bridge. He walks purposefully. Halfway across Chelsea Bridge he pauses and paces back and forth towards the railings, as well as looking over them, this is a change in behaviour. Then he is lost from sight.
“We have been closely liaising with a variety of experts through the National Crime Agency throughout the course of this investigation. Those experts have considered our latest information. At that time of night, at this time of year, and entering the water from the middle of a bridge at height, the chances of Ezedi surviving are extremely remote. The Thames current is very strong which is an additional factor.
“Our Marine Policing Unit will be carrying out boat searches at low tide in the area over the coming days. We have not recovered a body at this stage.
Abdul Ezedi at 9.54pm as he travelled along Upper Thames Street (Met Police)
Abdul Ezedi at King's Cross underground station (PA)“We have updated Ezedi’s family this afternoon with these latest developments and they are being supported by a specialist family liaison officer. Notwithstanding the horrific crime Ezedi committed, his family undoubtedly will be struggling to come to terms with the events of the last week and this latest development.
“We still have some enquiries to complete. But having looked at all the possible camera angles, we are as satisfied as we can be at this stage about what has happened to Ezedi.
”Our team of detectives will continue with a range of other enquiries to be as certain as we can about the exact events of that night.”
He added: “We remain immensely grateful to all those who called - the public support for our investigation has been tremendous and I want to thank all those who helped.
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“Our thoughts are also with the 31-year-old woman who remains in a critical but stable condition sedated in hospital on her long road to recovery.”