Crime Monthly

ACID ATTACK

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Marc Marshall was arrested in 2016 on suspicion of a £135,000 fraud, accused of buying high-end photograph­ic equipment with fake cheques and trying to sell it to Cash Converters. But when police turned up to take him in, he reacted by stabbing himself in the neck. His injury delayed his trial for three years – and when he finally found himself in the dock at Inner London Crown Court, his self-destructiv­e behaviour resurfaced.

The 55 year old, who had over 40 conviction­s for fraud, pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to two years and four months by the judge. Witnesses reported Marshall began to scream after learning his fate, before reaching for a metal water bottle he’d secreted among his belongings. He then proceeded to pour acid over his head. According to one onlooker, there was an overpoweri­ng smell of chemicals, Marshall’s face went white, and “it looked like he had glue on his skin”. A desperate attempt was made to wash the acid off before Marshall was rushed to hospital. A female court custody officer guarding Marshall was also injured, but did not require treatment.

When Marshall died two months later, his death sparked an inquest into how he was able to smuggle the acid into court undetected and resulted in a change in protocols. “We now make sure defendants’ property is out of reach while they are in the dock,” said a Ministry of Justice spokespers­on.

 ??  ?? Inner London Crown Court
Inner London Crown Court
 ??  ?? Marc Marshall
Marc Marshall

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