Acid attack victims afraid to tell police

HUNDREDS of acid attacks reported to police each year may only be a fraction of the real total with many victims too afraid of reprisals to come forward, police have warned.

A senior police officer has appealed for all victims to report the crime, praising the bravery of one man who discussed his ordeal in a radio interview.

It comes as speculation grows that Arthur Collins, the boyfriend of

star Ferne McCann, has fled the country. He is wanted by police in connection with an acid attack at Mangle nightclub in east London on Easter Monday, which left two people blinded in one eye.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Kearton, of Suffolk Police, told BBC Radio Four’s

programme yesterday: “I do fear that this is a hidden crime and that some of the victims are in fear of reprisal and don’t come forward.”

In the capital alone the number of acid attacks increased from 261 in 2015 to 454 last year, a rise of 74 per cent. ACC Kearton said such attacks cause lasting physical and emotional scarring, but warned it was not easy to regulate the sale of the household items often used.

She said: “It is a case of working with the retailers to understand what some of the restrictions are that can be practically put into place, so that those who are legitimately purchasing these materials can go ahead with their business.”