Crackdown over acid attacks in Britain

A 16-year-old male has been charged over five acid attacks in London, as the British Government prepares to clamp down.

The teenager is charged with 15 offences including grievous bodily harm and possession of an item to discharge a noxious substance, the Metropolitan Police said. He has been remanded in custody to appear before Stratford Youth Court tomorrow. Five acid attacks took place in north and east London in less than 90 minutes on Friday.

Ministers have grown alarmed at the apparent spike in acid attacks, which some have claimed is a result of tougher laws on knife crime. Some 408 acid or “corrosive substance” attacks were recorded between November 2016 to April 2017, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Bleach, ammonia and acid were the most commonly used substances, while one in five of known offenders were under 18 years old.

Thugs caught carrying acid with the intent of attacking someone should be jailed for up to four years, prosecutors will be told amid concern that incidents are on the rise. Official sentencing guidance will be reviewed and reissued amid fears that acid attackers are getting off lightly because the laws are being misapplied.

The number of substances that shopkeepers are legally bound to inform the police about if they are bought by suspicious people could also be extended.

Police said the teenager has been charged with one count of GBH with intent, one count of possession of an item to discharge a noxious substance, three counts of robbery, one count of handling stolen goods, four counts of attempted robbery and five counts of attempted GBH with intent. Earlier, a 15-year-old male who was arrested at an address in Stoke Newington on Saturday on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery was released on bail until a date in early August.

Scotland Yard said the investigation into the attacks remains ongoing.