- Teenager targeted six moped riders in the space of just 90 minutes last year
- He sprayed victims across London directly in the face with potent noxious liquid
- Liquid burnt through one rider’s helmet leaving him with life changing injuries
A 17-year-old boy has been found guilty of a string of acid attacks against moped riders in a bid to steal their vehicles.
The teenager targeted six moped riders in the space of just 90 minutes on July 13 last year in north and east London.
The defendant, from Croydon, south London, sprayed his victims in the face with a highly potent noxious liquid, which police said left one with ‘life-changing injuries’.
One rider was attacked and robbed while another man was heard ‘screaming in agony’ after suffering catastrophic injuries when doused with flesh-burning liquid.
Social media footage from the scene of one of the attacks shows people trying to help one victim by dousing him with water
A shocking picture captured at the scene of one of the attacks AT THE Hackney Road junction with Queensbridge Road shows a police cordon and a dozen food delivery drivers who rushed to the aid of a victim
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, stole two mopeds and tried to take another four from their owners, before being arrested at around 3am on July 14.
At Wood Green Crown Court today he pleaded guilty to six counts of throwing a corrosive liquid with intent to ‘disable, burn, maim, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm’, two counts of robbery and four counts of attempted robbery.
Another unidentified person is listed on the indictment as also having been involved in the attacks.
The teenager earlier denied the charges and had been due to stand trial.
One of the victims Jabed Hussain, 32, said he was on his way home in east London when the moped rider pulled up next to him at the traffic lights and doused him with acid.
The liquid was so potent it burnt through his helmet and hoodie, but he was miraculously saved from serious injury by his headgear.
Jabed Hussain, 32, said he was on his way home in east London when the moped rider pulled up next to him at the traffic lights and doused him with acid
TIMELINES OF THE ACID ATTACKS
This map shows how the teenager targeted six moped riders in the space of just 90 minutes in the harrowing attack across London
ATTACK ONE: The first attack victim of the night’s first attack at around 10.25pm on July 14, at traffic lights on Hackney Road.
ATTACK TWO: Little more than 20 minutes later, at 10.49pm, a 44-year-old moped driver was sprayed with a searing liquid at the Upper Street junction with Highbury Corner in Islington. The victim was taken to a hospital in north London. His vehicle was not stolen.
ATTACK THREE: Then at around 11.05pm, police were called after attackers targeted a man in Shoreditch High Street, tossing a substance in his face. His injuries were not life-threatening and his moped was not stolen, police said.
ATTACK FOUR: Within 15 minutes, a corrosive substance was hurled at a man on Upper Clapton Road, causing ‘life-changing’ facial injuries. Police were called to the scene at 11.18pm.
ATTACK FIVE: The final assault was reported to police at 11.37pm, when another man was confronted as he sat on his moped in traffic in Chatsworth Road.
Hundreds of deliveroo and Uber eats drivers later staged an impassioned protest outside parliament to demand greater protection, claiming they have been preyed upon by moped thieves
Hundreds of deliveroo and Uber eats drivers later staged an impassioned protest outside parliament to demand greater protection, claiming they have been preyed upon by moped thieves who have attacked them with knives and acid in order to steal their bikes.