Innocent nurse dies after being splashed with acid in gang brawl
A TEENAGER has been charged with the murder of a dementia nurse who suffered severe burns in an acid attack.
Joanne Rand, 47, was sitting on a park bench when a group of men began fighting near her. It is believed that the mother was splashed with acid from a bottle that one of the men kicked at her during the suspected gang brawl.
Xeneral Webster, 18, from Hammersmith, west London, was yesterday charged with one count of murder. He also faces charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and causing grievous bodily harm. All relate to offences on the same day in June.
Miss Rand was sitting in a park in High Wycombe on June 3 when she was sprayed with what police believe was a corrosive substance.
She was taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital with severe burns and received skin grafts before being discharged. But she was re-admitted on June 9, telling friends she had suffered an infection and needed another skin graft.
The nurse, who worked at the Sir Aubrey Ward House care home near her house in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, died in hospital on June 14.
Following the incident, detectives issued a CCTV image of the bottle believed to have been used, in the hope that the public might find it and hand it in.
Miss Rand’s family yesterday shared a tribute to her, telling of their ‘devastation’ and revealing that she had lost her 19-year-old daughter Charlotte in a car crash in 2011. They said: ‘Jo will be fondly remembered as a fun-loving, bubbly and caring person. She meant so much to so many and her tragic and sudden death has left everyone who knew her shocked and deeply saddened.’
Her family said that growing up, she was ‘very mischievous’ and as the baby of the family, was spoilt by her four older sisters. They added: ‘Jo had three children, Charlotte, Ryan and Katie. Jo was very proud of her children, loved them dearly and always put them first. Katie and Ryan are so heartbroken, they cannot find the words to describe how they feel about losing their mum. Jo was deeply loved by her partner Eddie.’
Her colleagues at Sir Aubrey Ward House, which has up to 60 patients and specialises in Alzheimer’s care, described Miss Rand as a ‘kind and caring person’, and added that she had been a ‘much loved member of our team’.
Days before her death, Miss Rand posted on Facebook: ‘I’ll be in hospital up till end of next week. They will be doing another skin graft as the burns are deep.’
Earlier she had written: ‘On my way to Stoke Mandeville. Have an infection in my burns.’ Friends and family raised more than £4,000 on a crowdfunding website for the nurse’s funeral, which took place last month. Mourners were requested to wear bright clothes.
Webster was charged at Amersham Law Courts in Buckinghamshire and remanded in custody yesterday.
He is due to appear at Reading Crown Court on April 9.
Earlier this month Home Secretary Amber Rudd vowed to crack down on the sale of acid to teenagers after it emerged that police had dealt with more than 400 acid attacks in the six months to April 2017.
‘The burns are deep’