Failing the acid test
No checks by online giants that sell ‘face melter’ used in attacks
Corrosive liquids need stricter regulations, if people don’t die they’re disfigured JACQUELINE JOINER SISTER OF LATE JOANNE BACKS CALL TO GOVERNMENT
AN acid-based drain cleaner that’s nicknamed “face melter” by gangs is being sold online without any checks, a Mirror probe has found.
One Shot Drain Cleaner, containing 91% sulphuric acid, was yesterday on sale for less than £10 on Amazon, where we bought a litre of the lethal substance.
Despite one of the highest acid attack rates in the world – a boy of three being a recent victim – possession of corrosive substances in public is still not illegal.
Within hours of contacting Amazon yesterday, the retail giant removed One Shot from its website. Yet other toxic substances were still on sale.
And One Shot is still available on dozens of others sites, including eBay.
Today we call for the Government to urgently intervene to stop the growing epidemic of attacks by speeding up tough laws, which would restrict possession of acid through a licence.
MANSLAUGHTER
It comes after Xeneral Webster, 19, was jailed for 17 years on Tuesday after admitting to the manslaughter of nurse Joanne Rand – the first acid killing in the UK, according to prosecutors.
Joanne, 47, was sitting on a bench after visiting her daughter’s grave when she was hit by corrosive liquid last June.
The mum-of-three died 11 days later from multi-organ failure after contracting septicaemia.
Her sister backed our call. Jacqueline Joiner, 61, of Redditch, Worcs, said: “We don’t want anyone else to ever go through what Joanne did.
“Corrosive liquids need stricter regulations. If people don’t die from these attacks then they are disfigured for life.
“Acids must be licensed and only available to people for commercial reasons. It should not be widely available to the public or online.”
She added: “The past 13 months have been really hard for all of us. In memory of Jo, we as a family are all passionate about getting the message out there that something needs to be done.”
Under-18s have only been prevented from buying acid by a handful of retailers implementing voluntary bans.
The Offensive Weapons Bill, being debated in Parliament, will make it harder for young people to buy it online, with sellers requiring rigorous age verification to prove those purchasing knives or corrosives are over 18. Failure to do so will leave them liable to prosecution. The legislation will also create a criminal offence of possessing a corrosive substance in a public place. Extended police stop-and-search powers will enable them to seize corrosives from those carrying them without good reason.
But a change to the law is not expected before 2019, and the wording of the Bill is vague on how the law will be able to stop online sales.
Last night Labour also backed our demands for Government action.
Diane Abbott, the party’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Changes in the law need to be enacted with a sense of urgency before more lives are destroyed.
“The Tories have cut 21,000 police officers since 2010, and we have seen the
toll it has taken on the capital, with a rise in horrific acid attacks, along with a rise in other violent crimes.
“You can’t protect the public on the cheap.” She added: “The Government needs to look at cracking down on the sale of acids online.”
Our probe uncovered how easy it is to get hold of acids used in past attacks. After a few clicks, it was delivered just 24 hours later.
One Shot Drain Cleaner is so potent it scarred a five-year-old boy after it was used innocently by a neighbour. It burnt through his pipes overnight and through to the floor below, where the lad was sleeping.
Trading Standards officers said they had warned high-street retailers about sales of the product to under-21s after it was linked to a number of recent attacks, leading to three jail sentences. Yet the chemical can easily be bought from homeware stores’ sites as well as eBay, where no checks take place. The first to arrive was from Finchley Enterprise via Amazon for £6.39. Another litre quickly followed from Homecare Essentials, at £7.45. The box states: “Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. Keep out of reach of children. “Wear protective gloves/ protective clothing/eye protection/face protection. If in eyes immediately call a poison centre/ doctor.” There has been a record number of acid attacks in London. Metropolitan Police data showed 465 were recorded last year, up from 395 in 2016 and 255 in 2015. Attacks increased six-fold over six years. Areas such as the West Midlands and Essex have also seen large rises in acid attacks, as reports soared from 340 in 2014 to 843 last year. Some 109 people were treated in hospital in 2016 after being assaulted with a corrosive substance, including a child aged between one and four.
Previous reports show only 44 patients were treated for such injuries at NHS hospitals in England in 2006/7.
There was a steep rise after model Katie Piper, 34, was attacked with sulphuric acid in 2008.
Alex Mayes, of charity Victim Support, said: “We fully support the Government’s plans to bring in measures to ban the sale of certain acids to under-18s and to make it against the law to possess acid in a public place.
“However, in order to protect people from these shocking attacks, it’s vital that the Government continues to evaluate whether the right measures are in place to stop these substances being so easily available.”
Amazon declined to comment.