CCTV footage of corrosive substance attack in east London released by Met Police
Investigators appealing for information assault on takeaway delivery driver
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Police are hunting a man who demanded money from a takeaway delivery driver before spraying a corrosive substance in his face.
CCTV of the attack in Bow, east London, show the victim sitting in his car as a hooded man on a bicycle approaches, carrying a bottle in his right hand.
They can be seen talking before the attacker squirts something in the driver’s face, causing the car to accelerate forwards.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the victim had been entering details into his car’s sat-nav when he was targeted.
“The suspect approached him on a pedal cycle and demanded money,” he added.
“When the victim said that he did not have any, he was squirted in the face with a chemical that smelt of ammonia.
“The suspect tried to open the locked driver’s door and eventually got in through the passenger’s seat as the victim tried to wipe the substance off his face.
“The suspect then cycled off as the driver ran into the nearby takeaway and called police.”
Another cyclist was seen riding past as the attack continued and at least two more witnesses were visible on CCTV during the assault.
Paramedics took the victim to hospital, where he was treated for burns to his face but did not suffer life-changing injuries.
The incident took place at around 6.20pm on 2 May, but has been revealed for the first time by police launching an appeal for information.
Detective Constable Paul Clare said “This was a horrible assault on a takeaway delivery driver in the early evening. Witnesses were in the area and saw the assault. We are asking them to come forward and help us with our enquiries.”
The suspect is described as a white young man who was wearing a black hooded top, blue jeans, black shoes and a grey/green snood. He was on a black hybrid cycle.
Takeaway delivery drivers have been targeted in numerous attempted robberies using corrosive substances, including a spate of five acid attacks launching in just 90 minutes in June.
A 16-year-old boy arrested in relation to those attacks will appear in court next week, while John Tomlin is due to stand trial over an acid attack that left two cousins with life-changing injuries later this year.
A spike in the number of attacks using corrosive substances across the UK has sparked a new strategy by the Government and advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to treat dangerous liquids as “offensive weapons” earning up to four years imprisonment.
Those who attempt an attack but do not succeed in injuring their intended victims can also be handled a life sentence for acting with “intent to maim, disfigure or disable”.
CPS guidance emphasised the need for deterrence, adding: “Acid and other corrosive substances are becoming a preferred weapon of offenders carrying out criminal activity, due to it being easy to obtain, cheap and difficult to trace back to the perpetrator.”
NHS England has also released new advice on how to help the victims of such attacks, celled Report, Remove, Rinse.
Anyone with information on the attack in Bow is asked to contact Tower Hamlets CID via 101 or by Tweeting @MetCC.
To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.