Acid Attack In England Leaves 3-Year-Old Boy Severely Injured, Three Suspects Have Been Arrested
Police in England have arrested three men in conjunction with an acid attack against a 3-year-old boy, The Irish Post is reporting. However, police are not discussing a motive at this time.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, on Saturday at about 2:15 p.m. local time (about 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time), three men were seen on video deliberately throwing acid into the face of a 3-year-old boy. The attack happened at Home Bargains, a discount store in Tallow Hill, Worcester, about 130 miles from London.
For a crime that took place in broad daylight in front of a number of witnesses, there was surprisingly little in the way of helpful information for the police. Other than one witness describing one of the alleged assailants as “a skinny white guy,” there were no reliable descriptions. In fact, one shopper remembers going about her business as usual and then finding the store overrun with police trying to comfort a “hysterical” mother.
Fortunately, at least two of the alleged assailants were captured on video.
Three-year-old boy seriously injured in suspected "deliberate" acid attack in Worcester, England, police say https://t.co/UIMDWhVvOw
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 22, 2018
At the time of Krista Clark’s Inquisitr report about this crime, one arrest had been made: that of a 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton. He is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
Since that time, three more men have been arrested. Other than their ages – 22, 25 and 26 – police are not giving any information as to their identities.
As for the boy, though he’s been discharged from the hospital, it remains unclear, as of this writing, how severe his injuries were and whether or not he’ll be scarred and/or blinded for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, police have been scouring through trash bins looking for empty containers in an effort to identify the acid used in the attack.
Detective Inspector Tony Garner thanked everyone who has provided tips and information to the police.
“We’d like to thank everyone who shared our appeal over the weekend and contacted us with information; all of this is helping us to build up a better picture of this incident. We’re continuing to urge anyone else with information to contact us.”
According to The Sun, acid attacks have been soaring in the United Kingdom. For example, in 2016 in London alone, there were over 450 acid attacks. Police believe a country-wide increase in gang activity may be to blame, according to Dr. Simon Harding of Middlesex University.
“Acid was once a weapon of last resort but may now be the first. It’s used by gangs, if a business deal goes wrong or someone owes money.”
Meanwhile, some legislators are calling for laws making it harder to purchase corrosive materials.
