by LAUREN CODLING
AN ACID ATTACK survivor has said the British government needs to do more to tackle acid crime as new sentencing guidelines were implemented earlier this month.
Corrosive substances will now be recognised as “highly dangerous weapons”, after a string of violent acid attacks in the UK.
The guidelines also stated that an adult caught carrying acid twice or using it to threaten should receive a six-month jail term.
Jabed Hussain, 33, was sprayed with a corrosive substance by Derryck John, 17, in east London, while waiting at a traffic light on the evening of July 13.
John was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison for the attack on Monday (12).
Hussain, a former delivery driver for Uber Eats, was one among five other people who were also targeted that same night. The attacks took place in a three-mile radius.
“A six-month sentence is not enough [for carrying acid], Hussain told Eastern Eye last week. “Acid doesn’t kill anyone, but it destroys a person. The victim will carry the scars
with them until he or she dies. The action taken should be tougher than that.”
The latest statistics released in January by the Metropolitan Police showed there were 465 acid offences recorded in London in 2017, up from 260 in 2015.
The most recent attack took place in east London in mid-February, when a 24-year-old man sustained “life-changing” injuries following an attack by a group of four men in East Ham, Newham.
“If anyone is found carrying acid, they should be put in jail – there is no first time or second time,” Hussain said. “If the person is carrying acid with the intent to attack someone, it is a weapon that can destroy someone’s life.”
Bangladesh-born Hussain had previously said the UK government should take notice of laws in the south Asian country, where acid attacks have gone down by a significant
number since sentencing became stricter.
In 2002, prime minister Khaleda Zia introduced tougher sentencing, including the death penalty, for acid attackers after the number of victims rose to nearly 500 annually.
“[Zia] handled it very smartly,” he said. “Acid crime reduced from 85 per cent to five per cent – we need some experience from other countries.”
Last December, Tower Hamlets council in London launched an initiative to tackle acid attacks which involved getting local shopkeepers to sign up to a protocol about when and who they will sell acids to. Since the launch, more than 100 businesses have joined the scheme.
The agreement encouraged business owners not to sell the substance to young people and in addition, to be thoughtful about the behaviour of people who came into shops seeking to buy acid.
Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs told Eastern Eye he welcomed the tougher sentencing guidance, but felt more could be done by the government, such as preventing the cash purchase of acid, so purchases are traceable via debit or credit cards.
“The government should work with manufacturers to make the products less corrosive and thicker, so they are harder to use in attacks,” he added.
More than six months since the attack, Hussain said he is still affected by the trauma.
Although his physical scars have faded, he explained he struggles to live a normal life.
“When I go out, I always feel like I must look from left to right,” he said. “Even when I pick my daughter up from school, I always feel like I have to be so careful. Sometimes I have to send my brother [to pick up my daughter] as I can’t go as I think someone passing by will attack me.”
Hussain is currently helping to deter youngsters from becoming involved with crime and gangs. He is touring local schools in London, encouraging young people to become part of a team which works in delivery services.
“I am trying to share my story and trying to convince students to work with us,” he said. “We are providing free training for them to work with us as delivery drivers, part time, when they finish school.”
It would give individuals an opportunity to earn some money, work flexible hours and experience employment.
“We need to handle this now for our next generation,” Hussain said.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images