A father convicted of planning an acid attack on his three-year-old son has been jailed for 16 years.

The man and five others were found guilty of conspiring to throw sulphuric acid with intent to "burn, maim or disfigure" in the attack in July 2018.

The father, 40, cannot be named to protect the identity of his child.

His five accomplices were jailed for between 12 and 14 years at Worcester Crown Court.

Judge Robert Juckes QC, sentencing, told them they had carried out a "monstrous" crime with "obviously strong acid" that was probably from a car battery.


He said: "It is an extraordinary thing in this case that not one of you, most of whom have no previous convictions, most of whom with families of your own, at any stage stood back and asked the question of yourself and others: what are we doing?"

Image: The boy was attacked at the Home Bargains store in Worcester

A six-week trial heard the boy suffered serious injuries to his face and arm at a Home Bargains store in Worcester.

The court was shown CCTV footage of the moment of the attack, and heard how the injured child screamed "I hurt" after being struck.

Prosecutors argued the attack happened during a custody battle for the child with the boy's mother, and said the defendant hoped the attack would show she was unfit to look after him.

The boy has made a "good recovery" and is living with his mother.

In a prepared statement read out by Detective Sergeant Natalie Martin, the mother spoke about the moments after the attack.

She said: "He came running over to me screaming and grabbing his arm.

"I could see there was an injury but didn't know how it had been caused. I became hysterical.

Image: Detective Sergeant Natalie Martin read out a statement prepared by the boy's mother

"I noticed that red marks had then started to develop like a snake up his arm and then reddening to his forehead."

She added: "I couldn't sleep for weeks and I have repeated nightmares about what happened that day... it has been extremely hard to accept that my three-year-old child has been attacked in such a way, and that his father was behind this.

"How could he pay for someone to attack our child with acid? How will I explain to this my son?"

Co-conspirators Adam Cech, Jan Dudi, Norbert Pulko, Jabar Paktia, and Saied Hussini were found guilty of plotting to spray sulphuric acid on the boy with intent to cause harm.

Image: CCTV showed Cech, Dudi and Pulko walking through the store

Martina Badiova, of Newcombe Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, was cleared by a majority verdict of the same offence.

Supporters of Ms Badiova cheered and applauded in the public gallery as the foreman announced they had found the 23-year-old not guilty.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said the mother had driven to the store with her children at about 2pm to buy a party gift.

CCTV, which has been played in court, showed her being followed by a silver Vauxhall Vectra, allegedly containing three men who were part of the attack.

She went inside the store with her children at 2.13pm and was followed shortly afterwards by three men.

The child victim was standing with his sibling near a display of toy footballs when a man in a white T-shirt walked past the victim with his arm extended and an object in his hand.

As the man walked away, the boy could be seen looking quickly back towards him before running to his mother nearby.

Mr Rees told jurors: "What you have just seen is that person in a white T-shirt - you can just catch the moment where the arm is extended.

"That really is the hub of this case. That is the acid attack. It is over in a split second."