A pair of robbers hunting ‘like predators for their prey’ sprayed acid in the face of a shopkeeper before punching and kicking her to the ground, a court heard.

When Quyen Bui, 51, tried to scream for help, Sadik Kamara, 24, sprayed industrial-strength drain cleaner into her mouth, causing horrific internal burns.

Kamara and his accomplice Joshua Jordan, 20, carried out their brutal attack without saying a word before fleeing from the mini-supermarket to rob another woman ten minutes later, the court was told.

Sadik Kamara, 24, sprays industrial strength drain cleaner into the mouth of Quyen Bui, 51

CCTV footage of the attack showed Mrs Bui grappling with her assailants who sprayed her at least four times, including in her right eye, as she reached for the alarm.

They fled empty-handed 30 seconds after the alarm was triggered. Two other accomplices also attacked Mrs Bui when she tried to leave the shop in Hackney, East London, before all fled in a waiting car.

Just over a mile away, Kamara and Jordan dragged another Vietnamese woman to the ground before spraying her with an identical bottle of drain cleaner and robbing her, Wood Green Crown Court was told.

When Mrs Bui was taken to hospital, she found herself being treated alongside the second victim, Thi Le Nguyen, whose Michael Kors handbag containing £575 in cash, her bank card and mobile phones was stolen.

The robbers were later arrested after Kamara called for an ambulance, claiming he had been cleaning late at night and accidentally squirted acid in his eye. His injuries were found not to be serious.

Prosecuting, Benn Maguire said: ‘These men were preying on women to attack and rob.

The gang rushes behind the till during the horrific attack in Hackney, east London

'They selected lone females at night and to instill fear in the minds of their victims they sprayed acid into their faces. When the victims attempted to shout for help… they sprayed into their mouths, no doubt to silence their shouts for help.

‘It was a vicious and cowardly attack to disable their victims. Consider the extreme pain, the fear, the horror these women must have experienced.’

He added: ‘Having fled the scene of the first robbery, the defendants and other gang members drove around like predators searching for their prey. It may be no coincidence the victims of the attacks were Vietnamese women. One conclusion is that they were petite and easy to overpower.’

Reporting the attack at the mini-supermarket, Bui told police: ‘The first man sprayed chemical in my face when he entered my shop. I looked up, thought they were robbers and pressed the alarm button straight away. I then tried to escape and call for help. The first man kept spraying me.

Mrs Bui grapples with one of the thugs as they try to swipe cash from the supermarket's till

‘I pushed the first man and the second man out, lifted the (counter) gate and ran out. But a third and fourth man blocked me. One of them punched my right shoulder. I fell down, then they kicked me hard.’

As the gang fled, Mrs Bui poured water over her face, which prevented serious injury, but she was still left with chemical burns to her mouth.

She has worked in the supermarket run by her son for ten years, but was so traumatised she considered giving up work.

Meanwhile, nail technician Miss Nguyen, describing how she was attacked as she got out of a taxi, said: ‘They pressed my neck down into the ground and sprayed the chemical to my face. I was so scared. One of the two guys snatched my bag.’

Both defendants admitted the first robbery on March 10 and Kamara pleaded guilty to applying a corrosive liquid to burn, disfigure or cause bodily harm to Mrs Bui. Jordan denies the second charge, and both deny attacking Miss Nguyen.

Three accomplices have never been traced. The trial continues.