Government promises new measures as home secretary says: ‘Life sentences must not be reserved for survivors’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Following a recent spate of acid attacks, the UK government has promised new measures to tackle the issue, including urging courts to impose life sentences where appropriate, or seeking age checks for those buying corrosive substances.



The home secretary, Amber Rudd, said an overhaul of current guidelines would ensure those who used noxious liquids as a weapon felt “the full force of the law”.

“I am clear that life sentences must not be reserved for acid attack survivors,” she wrote in the Sunday Times.

Proposals to ensure acid and other corrosive substances can be classed as dangerous weapons are among the changes included in the shake-up.

On Sunday Sarah Newton, the minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, said judges already had the power to impose life sentences for the most serious cases of grievous bodily harm.

“We are definitely doing a review of sentencing and are definitely involved with the CPS to make sure that people understand the powers they’ve got, understand the measures that can be in place and making sure that those penalties truly reflect the severity of the injuries, even a life sentence for some people,” she told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

“I quite understand when victims say they feel the perpetrators themselves should have a life sentence.”

The problem of acid attacks was emphasised on Thursday night, when five people were assaulted in north and east London in less than 90 minutes in what police suspect were connected attacks.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with 15 offences, including grievous bodily harm and possession of an item to discharge a noxious substance.

The Home Office said it would work with police and the Ministry of Justice to assess whether powers available to the courts, including sentencing, were sufficient.



Rudd wrote: “Today I am announcing an action plan to tackle acid attacks. It will include a wide-ranging review of the law enforcement and criminal justice response, of existing legislation, of access to harmful products and of the support offered to victims.”

“We will also make sure that those who commit these terrible crimes feel the full force of the law,” she added.

“We will seek to ensure that everyone working within the criminal justice system, from police officers to prosecutors, has the powers they need to punish severely those who commit these appalling crimes.”

Play Video 1:02 Cressida Dick condemns ‘barbaric’ acid attacks – video

Possession of acid or other corrosive substances with the intention to do harm can already be treated as possession of an offensive weapon under the Prevention of Crime Act, and carries a four-year maximum penalty.

The Crown Prosecution Service’s guidance to prosecutors will now be reviewed to ensure it makes clear that acid and other corrosive substances can be classed as dangerous weapons, and what is required to prove intent.

Newton said the Home Office had been concerned about the issue “for some time”, and planned to come up with a comprehensive response.

She said: “You do know, there is a licensing regime but the problem is that a lot of the chemicals that are being used are under your sink, in your bathroom, readily available.

“So we are working with retailers and manufacturers. With manufacturers to see if we can reduce some of the strength of the cleaning materials, with retailers to see if we should be asking for age verification checks for young people, how practical that would be, and how we can introduce those measures. So we are examining every step of the process to see what more we can do.”