UK- London Nine injured in suspected acid attack, children among injured 01/31/24

[Dotta]

Absolutely agree. Far more likely to get mugged or stabbed imo

However it is good to see awareness being spread on what you should do in event of an acid attack

The sad fact is that victims are almost always women.

So, statistically speaking
every day 2 women are left in torment,
saying goodbye to normal, fullfing and happy life.

Disfigured, usually left blind.

Undergoing painful and never ending surgeries.
Or not.

Ashamed of scars,
staying mainly at home.

Cut off normal relationships.
Buried while still living

Well,
for me - even 1 attack a year is 1 too many.

But it is Only MY Opinion.

 

[Skigh]

Thanks, can't find any information about when the police were involved in the media reports I've read. Only saying that multiple officers were injured, how did this happen? Was it at the scene of the attack and if so how did he escape?

Maybe read the earlier posts on this thread.

 

[LadyL]

I haven't followed this too closely - I rarely watch the news these days, tbh - but weren't there apparently sightings of him several days after the attack? Admittedly, I may be wrong on this.

MSM did not report any sightings

 

[LadyL]

There were several sightings of him on various cameras around the city—on the tube, in a convenience store, walking along a bridge path—but the sightings all occurred within a few hours of the attack. It’s just that LE released the images as they discovered them, one at a time, over the course of a week. So, I can understand how one might misinterpret the sightings as happening over the span of several days, but they actually all occurred within just a few hours of the attack.

and they weren't 'sightings' by the public but images that LE found on CCTV

 

[LadyL]

"The family of the Clapham chemical attack
have said the woman who was injured
is still recovering in hospital.

The 31-year-old mother of two
remains sedated
and they still have no idea
what impact the horror assault will have on her eyesight.

'We still don’t know the full extent of damage to her vision'."

Family of Clapham chemical attack victim give update from hospital bed

The family said: 'Mum continues to be sedated in hospital. We still don’t know the full extent of damage to her vision.

metro.co.uk

she and her daughters must be missing each other terribly even if allowed short visits

 

[benowens]

Denial is so comforting.

Until it affects a person.
Or a member of one's family


JMO

It's not denial. These things ARE extremely rare. I don't see how an actual statistic is "denial".

 

[Sarahlou]

The sad fact is that victims are almost always women.

So, statistically speaking
every day 2 women are left in torment,
saying goodbye to normal, fullfing and happy life.

Disfigured, usually left blind.

Undergoing painful and never ending surgeries.
Or not.

Ashamed of scars,
staying mainly at home.

Cut off normal relationships.
Buried while still living

Well,
for me - even 1 attack a year is 1 too many.

But it is Only MY Opinion.

According to the Daily Mail link further up in the thread :

There were 710 acid attacks recorded in 2022, compared with 421 in 2021. The Metropolitan Police recorded 107 attacks in 2022, up from 74 in 2021. Women were targeted in 339 cases and men in 317 and in the rest the gender of the victim was unknown.

Yes, more women than men but not that much difference. (In the UK anyway)
But I agree, 1 a year is too many!

 

[Dotta]

According to the Daily Mail link further up in the thread :



Yes, more women than men but not that much difference. (In the UK anyway)
But I agree, 1 a year is too many!

Thanks.
This kinds of attacks are unheard of where I live,
so it is all new to me.
Apart from terrifying media reports from around the world which sometimes appear in my country's MSM.
And they almost always depict burnt women
We live in different worlds it seems.

 

[scapa]

According to the Daily Mail link further up in the thread :



Yes, more women than men but not that much difference. (In the UK anyway)
But I agree, 1 a year is too many!

It does seem to go in phases.

2017 saw an upsurge also, in attacks and in media pieces about the history of acid/ corrosive substance attacks in the UK:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5d38c003-c54a-4513-a369-

But you also have fictional references featuring acid attacks as a serious problem on the rise in London in the 1940s.

Acid attacks have a long history in Britain

What used to be a weapon of Victorian ladies has become popular among London’s gangs

www.economist.com

 

[Skigh]

Fresh warning over rise of 'copycat' acid attacks in Britain

Warning: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Experts spoke about the worrying number of attacks in recent weeks - and called for 'further tightening' around the regulations for corrosive substances.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Fresh warnings have been issued to Britons over a rise of 'copycat' acid attacks, as four incidents have been reported in just two weeks.

Experts spoke to MailOnline today about the worrying number of chemical attacks reported in recent weeks — and called for 'further tightening' around the regulations for corrosive substances.

Professor Aisha K. Gill, Professor of Criminology, Centre for Gender and Violence Research, at University of Bristol, referred to acid attacks as a 'gendered form of violence', one where the attempt is to maim and disfigure, but not necessarily to kill.

She said long-term disability, social isolation and a loss of social or economic status are 'deliberately sought by the perpetrators of these attacks'.

It comes just weeks after suspected acid attacker Abdul Shokoor Ezedi doused a mother and her two daughters with a corrosive alkaline substance in Clapham, on Wednesday, 31 January.

Police believe the 35-year-old man was previously in a relationship with the woman.

 

[investikater]

It does seem to go in phases.

2017 saw an upsurge also, in attacks and in media pieces about the history of acid/ corrosive substance attacks in the UK:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5d38c003-c54a-4513-a369-

But you also have fictional references featuring acid attacks as a serious problem on the rise in London in the 1940s.

Acid attacks have a long history in Britain

What used to be a weapon of Victorian ladies has become popular among London’s gangs

www.economist.com

Damn I can't get that BBC link to work and the economist is behind a paywall

I've been wanting to talk about the history and about who's doing it now

I believe this history is part of the origin of the word 'vitriol'

Someone nowadays would use the word vitriol to mean very harsh words and speech
I think that began as a metaphor where somone would say 'she sprayed vitriol in his face' meaning she was verbally abusive

Before that it comes from the Latin for glass. I'm not sure if that's because acid is used in making glass, or because it sort of cuts like glass, or because crystallised ingredients look a bit like glass

In Victorian era it was (like poison was and remains) more often a weapon of women. Although ive read claims that statistically it was pretty equal and that that was more perception than fact

Its interesting to note how relatively less powerful most women were at the time

There is even an acid attack - referred to as vitriol - in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client from 1924 set in the Edwardian era (just after the Victorian)
The thrower is a women who is badly treated by a man, and if I remember she is given a lenient sentence. As i remember - and seems is not uncommon in literature of the time ( such as
Tess of the d'Urbervilles for example) - it's not made clear if the man has just been cruel and broken their engagement or if he has also abused her in multiple ways or even raped her. Sometimes such as in TotdU it is made vague by authors of the time on purpose. One thing to remember is the different context where at the time women were judged harshly and could lose significant 'value' and future prospects if they had unmarried sex or were raped.

It's my observation (and also mention in the beginning of that economist article before the paywall) in the present day the perpetrators of these crimes around the world are often men from cultures that again in my observation sometimes have similar beliefs about women today.

However interestingly the statistics in the UK specifically are more mixed depending who you ask. I am a little suspicious JUST MY OPINION about some of the disagreement and wonder what role something such as 'political correctness' may be playing in that discrepancy as has been speculated to have occured such as in the Rotherham scandal

P.s. the Sherlcok Holmes story was made into the character of Kitty in Elementary the TV show who ends up committing an acid attack on her rapist

Sources:

Vitriol - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Oil of vitriol was an old name for concentrated sulfuric acid, which was historically obtained through the dry distillation (pyrolysis) of vitriols. The name, abbreviated to vitriol, continued to be used for this viscous liquid long after the minerals came to be termed "sulfates". The figurative term vitriolic in the sense of "harshly condemnatory" is derived from the corrosive nature of this substance."

Acid attack - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in South Asia.[21] Statistics from Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) suggest that 80% of victims worldwide are women.[22]

South Asia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. As commonly conceptualized, the modern states of South Asia include Afghanistan,[7] Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[8]

Acid attack - Wikipedia <- lots of info about present and history

The Adventure of the Illustrious Client - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From 2017 so stats may have changed:

Everything you know about acid attacks is wrong - BBC Three

Check out this content on BBC Three.

www.bbc.co.uk

Jaf Shah is the executive director of Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), a charity that seeks to end acid violence.

In the 15 years since his organisation was established, he has noted a familiar pattern to acid attacks around the world that is outlined prominently on ASTI’s website: “Acid violence is a form of violence that has a disproportionate impact on women.”

“In many regions of the world, most attacks relate to gender violence,” said Shah. “These attacks are often linked to rejected sexual advances, or marriage proposals.”

“However, this does not appear to be the case in the UK.”

In July, Minister Sarah Newton, who has recently been moved to the Department for Work and Pensions from her previous role as minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, told BBC 5 live: “These substances are used in so-called honour-based violence."

The statistics from London's police record just one attack – in 2011 – as an honour crime.

“It’s not something that we’re seeing,” said Detective Superintendent Mike West.

Jaf Shah urged caution, however. “It’s quite possible that honour attacks in the UK are simply not being reported for fear of reprisal,” he said.

Police recorded 284 ‘domestic incident’ related acid attacks in the 15-year period from 2002-16 – just 11% of the violent acid attack total.

This low rate, coupled with a decline in the average age of suspects to 21, suggests that acid violence is increasingly gang related, according to Dr Harding.

Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The failure to address the abuse was attributed to a combination of factors revolving around race, class, religion and gender—fear that the perpetrators' ethnicity would trigger allegations of racism; contemptuous and sexist attitudes toward the mostly working-class victims; lack of a child-centred focus; a desire to protect the town's reputation; and lack of training and resources.[26][27][10]

 

[Dotta]

Damn I can't get that BBC link to work and the economist is behind a paywall

I've been wanting to talk about the history and about who's doing it now

I believe this history is part of the origin of the word 'vitriol'

Someone nowadays would use the word vitriol to mean very harsh words and speech
I think that began as a metaphor where somone would say 'she sprayed vitriol in his face' meaning she was verbally abusive

Before that it comes from the Latin for glass. I'm not sure if that's because acid is used in making glass, or because it sort of cuts like glass, or because crystallised ingredients look a bit like glass

In Victorian era it was (like poison was and remains) more often a weapon of women. Although ive read claims that statistically it was pretty equal and that that was more perception than fact

Its interesting to note how relatively less powerful most women were at the time

There is even an acid attack - referred to as vitriol - in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client from 1924 set in the Edwardian era (just after the Victorian)
The thrower is a women who is badly treated by a man, and if I remember she is given a lenient sentence. As i remember - and seems is not uncommon in literature of the time ( such as
Tess of the d'Urbervilles for example) - it's not made clear if the man has just been cruel and broken their engagement or if he has also abused her in multiple ways or even raped her. Sometimes such as in TotdU it is made vague by authors of the time on purpose. One thing to remember is the different context where at the time women were judged harshly and could lose significant 'value' and future prospects if they had unmarried sex or were raped.

It's my observation (and also mention in the beginning of that economist article before the paywall) in the present day the perpetrators of these crimes around the world are often men from cultures that again in my observation sometimes have similar beliefs about women today.

However interestingly the statistics in the UK specifically are more mixed depending who you ask. I am a little suspicious JUST MY OPINION about some of the disagreement and wonder what role something such as 'political correctness' may be playing in that discrepancy as has been speculated to have occured such as in the Rotherham scandal

P.s. the Sherlcok Holmes story was made into the character of Kitty in Elementary the TV show who ends up committing an acid attack on her rapist

Sources:

Vitriol - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Acid attack - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

South Asia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Acid attack - Wikipedia <- lots of info about present and history

The Adventure of the Illustrious Client - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From 2017 so stats may have changed:

Everything you know about acid attacks is wrong - BBC Three

Check out this content on BBC Three.

www.bbc.co.uk

Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Very interesting post! Thanks!

Yep.
"to throw vitriol at sb"
I remember this expression when I was learning English in school.

But, naively, I treated it as metaphor.
Never thought it might be taken literally.
How I hated this word - spelling, I mean.

PS
I also couldn't read reports you mentioned.

BBC - doesn't open
The Economist - paywall

Too bad!!!

 

[LadyL]

this is a recent article stating that acid attacks increased 70% in 2022 in the U.K.

Acid attacks appear to be on the rise – what the numbers tell us about corrosive substances and crime

Corrosive substance attacks against women in particular are on the rise.

theconversation.com

back in 2017, acid attacks were on the rise and London was being called 'the acid capital of Britain' ... this article blames 'toxic masculinity'

Acid attacks are on the rise and toxic masculinity is the cause

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.…

nationalpost.com

 

[investikater]

It's a really horrific crime
They need to do something

What is the punishment for such a crime in the UK? Is it harsh enough?

I think maybe a crime with lifelong consequences of this severity should be punished with life imprisonment or maybe even execution
Certainly at least many decades in jail.

 

[investikater]

Combating Acid Violence: The Bangladesh model - Abuse - Women talk online - DW.COM

blogs.dw.com

Bangladesh has had success in lowering their rates by introducing capital punishment including life and death and by tightly controlling caustic substances

On March 17, 2002, The Acid Control Act of 2002 and The Acid Crime Control Act of 2002 were introduced by the government.

Acid Offense Control Act

The Acid Offense Prevention Act of 2002 is intended to control acid violence by penalty ranging between three and fifteen years; and depending on the severity of the case, life imprisonment to a maximum death sentence. The variations of punishment depend on the parts of the body affected.

The law clearly states that punishment for killing of a person by acid or injuring a person resulting in loss of vision, loss of hearing or disfigurement of the face, breasts or sexual organs can result in capital punishment, or rigorous imprisonment for life. Damage or disfigurement of body will result in fourteen years of imprisonment but not less than seven years of rigorous imprisonment. Punishment for attempt to throw acid causing no damage or injury may extend to seven years but not less than three years of rigorous imprisonment and also with a fine not exceeding fifty thousand taka. Also, if someone assists to commit the crime of acid throwing, he/she will receive the same punishment as the perpetrator.

The Acid Control Act of 2002 has been introduced to control “the import, production, transportation, hoarding, sale and use of acid, and to provide treatment to victims of acid violence, rehabilitate them, and provide legal assistance”. The act punishes the unlicensed production, import, transport, storage, sale and use of acid by a jail term of three to ten years and a fine of up to taka 50,000. It establishes the central government’s authority over import licenses and the deputy commissioner as the authority for transport, storage, seller and user licenses. The act also requires license holders to keep informational records relating to all acid use. The National Acid Control Council (NACC) and District Acid Control Committees (DACC) were established under this act.

National Acid Control Council (NACC) is mandated to develop policies and monitoring systems for the production, trade and deposit of acid and to develop medical, rehabilitation and legal support services for the victims of acid violence. Accordingly District Acid Control Committees (DACC) work to implement the decisions of NACC.

 

[Marantz4250b]

It's a really horrific crime
They need to do something

What is the punishment for such a crime in the UK? Is it harsh enough?

I think maybe a crime with lifelong consequences of this severity should be punished with life imprisonment or maybe even execution
Certainly at least many decades in jail.

The maximum penalty for GBH with intent is life imprisonment.

If you intend to do GBH and the person dies you can be convicted of murder. You don't need to have an intent to kill.

We don't have the death penalty here. Last execution was 1964.

I agree that sentences for this should be very long. But I'm someone who thinks that the sentencing for all violent crime should be much longer.

 

[Dotta]

The maximum penalty for GBH with intent is life imprisonment.

If you intend to do GBH and the person dies you can be convicted of murder. You don't need to have an intent to kill.

We don't have the death penalty here. Last execution was 1964.

I agree that sentences for this should be very long. But I'm someone who thinks that the sentencing for all violent crime should be much longer.

I would also add financial punishment.
Like financing surgeries.
And, if the victim is unable to work b/c of injuries - to provide for a victim.

Tough!!!!
That is key here.

JMO

 

[Marantz4250b]

Combating Acid Violence: The Bangladesh model - Abuse - Women talk online - DW.COM

blogs.dw.com

Bangladesh has had success in lowering their rates by introducing capital punishment including life and death and by tightly controlling caustic substances

My natural instincts are very much opposed to imposing more controls on inanimate objects and substances as a method of crime control. If you have to control "things" it means you've lost control of certain sections of society by failing to educate them how to behave towards one another.

The other objection is that these methods are used by politicians as "sound-bite" easy fix solutions they use to pretend they are actually solving the problem at hand. It's a case of "doing something" regardless of what it is to turn down the political heat - just ban it, that'll sort the problem. Which it rarely does.

Someone who resorts to throwing acid in another's face is a deeply depraved individual who will resort to other means to hurt people. It's a massive lack of respect for other people (usually women), human life and wider society in general. Searching questions need to be asked as to what causes people to behave like that and why these people are living in an allegedly civilised society. IMO, obvs.

 

[Marantz4250b]

I would also add financial punishment.
Like financing surgeries.
And, if the victim is unable to work b/c of injuries - to provide for a victim.

Tough!!!!
That is key here.

JMO

I agree with the sentiment but it's not going to have an effect, sadly. Even if the type of person who did this kind of thing thought about it rationally, which clearly they never do, the chances are they'll have little or no money anyway.

The guy in the latest one was a refugee (who clearly shouldn't have been given leave to stay as he's a sex offender) so he'll not be rolling in cash.

Quite honestly, what we need are higher standards of behavior and respect towards others in society - from everyone, not just those from other countries or cultures. Too many people seem to have been brought up with an almost complete lack of respect or empathy towards other people, especially women.

 

[Dotta]

I agree with the sentiment but it's not going to have an effect, sadly. Even if the type of person who did this kind of thing thought about it rationally, which clearly they never do, the chances are they'll have little or no money anyway.

The guy in the latest one was a refugee (who clearly shouldn't have been given leave to stay as he's a sex offender) so he'll not be rolling in cash.

Quite honestly, what we need are higher standards of behavior and respect towards others in society - from everyone, not just those from other countries or cultures. Too many people seem to have been brought up with an almost complete lack of respect or empathy towards other people, especially women.

Compensation for GBH

When determining the amount of compensation, the percentage of health damage found is taken into account.
Courts in my country award compensation of certain amount of money for each 1% of health damage.

No mercy!
But pay!
Either in full, or in installments.
Whatever the perp earns (after prison sentence, that is), some money is taken away towards the victim.