Eighteen-year-old was reportedly approached in Leyton by moped gang, who sprayed corrosive substance in his face

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

An 18-year-old man has sustained possibly life-changing injuries in an acid attack in east London.

Police were called to Langthorne Road in Leyton, near Downsell primary school, shortly before 10pm on Sunday after witnesses raised the alarm.

The man was cycling when he was reportedly approached by a moped gang. He suffered serious facial injuries when he was sprayed with a corrosive substance.

“We heard a man shouting indistinguishably and it went on for about 15 minutes. Then I realised the man was wailing as if he was in great pain,” said Yana Bey, an Indian journalist staying at a friend’s near where the attack took place.

“My friend who went down and saw him said they wrapped him in an emergency blanket and put him in the ambulance. One of the neighbours said he heard the man shouting ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’. They threw the acid on him and stole his bike.”



The man was taken to an east London hospital after first aid was administered. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

The acid attack follows a spate of similar incidents involving gangs in east London. A similar attack was perpetrated in Stratford on Sunday when a man had acid thrown in his face after he refused to buy cannabis from two men. He suffered serious burn injuries and permanent scarring. There have been no arrests over the Stratford attack; police released an e-fit of the suspect.

The rise in acid attacks has led to calls for restrictions on the sale of sulphuric acid, which is easily available over the counter and is not illegal to carry.

The Acid Survivors Trust has called for potentially lethal substances to be reclassified so that a licence would be needed to buy them.

There were 455 crimes in London last year where a corrosive substance was used or threatened to be used. The majority – 60% of cases – were assaults, and a quarter involved acid or another chemical being used in street robbery.