Teenage boy in hospital after 'corrosive substance' thrown in his face in latest London attack
Attack comes day after Home Office announces new measures to combat acid attacks
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A teenage boy has been taken to hospital after a “corrosive substance” was thrown in his face in the latest attack in London.
The 17-year-old boy ran to a nearby restaurant in Penge screaming for help after the assault, which came just a day after the Government announced increased penalties for carrying acid.
Staff at the Himalayan Kitchen restaurant said customers helped rinse the victim’s face with water after Sunday’s attack.
“I was talking to my customers and the man ran up, he was shouting 'my life is gone, call my mum',” one worker told the Evening Standard.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 1.30pm and believe the substance was ammonia-based.
“The injured male was taken to a south London hospital by London Ambulance Service,” a spokesperson added. “His injuries are not life-threatening.”
No arrests have yet been made and investigations continue.
Efforts continue to combat a nationwide spike in attacks involving acid and other corrosive substances, which have been used in robberies, assaults and suspected hate crimes.
Criminals caught with the dangerous liquids twice will automatically face a prison sentence of at least six months under proposals unveiled on Saturday, mirroring a system rolled out for offenders repeatedly carrying knives in 2015.
Judges must impose the minimum sentence, which can be suspended, unless there are particular circumstances that would "make it unjust to do so in all the circumstances".
The change was part of a raft of measures outlined by the Home Office, including a new offence of “possession of a corrosive substance in public without a good or lawful reason”, placing the onus on potential attackers to defend themselves, rather than police to prove their intent.
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, said: "All forms of violent crime are totally unacceptable, which is why we are taking action to restrict access to offensive weapons and crack down on those who carry acids with the intent to do harm."
But the Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, warned: "Unless there are sufficient officers to enforce the law, new legislation will have a limited effect."
Police figures show there were 408 attacks using corrosive substances between November 2016 and April this year, with a fifth of known offenders under the age of 18.
"The use of corrosive substances as a weapon is centuries old, but whilst the number of offences is relatively small, we are concerned about its increasing use as a weapon," a Home Office document said.
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 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 advice on how to help the victims of such attacks, called Report, Remove, Rinse.
Additional reporting by PA