'All my face is burning, please someone help me': Desperate screams of young woman targeted in 'acid attack' while standing at a bus stop

Victim suffered 'horrendous injuries' after attack in Lowestoft, Suffolk

Woman, thought to be 22, ran across road, screaming for her mother

Residents poured water over woman's head - incident taped on pub CCTV



Leon Thompson, 38, from Lowestoft, was remanded in custody, charged with intent to disfigure and cause grievous bodily harm

A 25-year-old man is being questionned by police in relation to incident



A young woman was seen crying out to strangers for help after being targeted in an 'acid attack' as she stood at a bus stop.

The victim, believed to be 22, suffered ‘horrendous’ injuries after the corrosive liquid was thrown in her face in Lowestoft, Suffolk.



Witnesses said the victim ran across the road, desperately screaming for her mother, as the acid-like substance burned into her skin and hair.

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A young woman has been left with 'life-changing injuries' to her face and neck after being targeted in an 'acid attack' while she was standing at this bus stop in Lowestoft, Suffolk

The woman also begged for strangers to bring her water while screaming 'all my face is burning'.



The victim was taken to the James Paget Hospital at Gorleston near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and was expected to be moved to a specialist burn unit.



Police say the victim is believed to have suffered 'life-changing injuries' to her face, chest and arms.



The attack, which took place on London Road South at 8.20am on Thursday, was caught on CCTV camera installed at a nearby pub.

Leon Thompson, 38, from Lowestoft, who was arrested two hours after the incident, has been charged with throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to disfigure and cause grievous bodily harm.



He appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court in Ipswich, where he was remanded in custody until his next appearance on August 26.



A 25 year-old man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily.

He is still being questioned at the Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre.

Officers were last night unable to confirm or deny whether or not the suspect was known to the victim.

But MailOnline understands it is not being treated as a random attack and that the woman was intentionally targeted.



After the substance was thrown, several residents brought out water from nearby houses to pour over the woman's head in a desperate bid to wash away the liquid.

Jamie Gregg, 20, said she was asleep when she was woken up by the woman’s screams.

She said: 'It was really loud. I heard her yelling, ‘Get me water’. I looked out of the window and saw her running across the road away from the bus stop.

'The poor girl had her head to her side and was holding her shoulder length blonde hair as if she was trying to keep it away from her face.



Witnesses said the woman was seen running across the road, screaming for her mother, after the corrosive liquid was thrown in her face on Thursday morning. Pictured: The bus stop where the incident took place

'She stopped outside the pub and there were several people trying to help her. Someone yelled out to bring her a chair.

'I quickly got dressed and ran out with a chair for her and a glass of water while someone else brought out water in a jug.

'She was calling out for her mum and saying, ‘All my face is burning’ as she splashed the water on her face.

'It looked like the liquid had gone on the right side of her face. Her injuries were horrendous. Her skin was all pink and peeling off. The ambulance was here within five or ten minutes.'

Miss Gregg’s partner Jamie Silverman, 33, said: 'She was apparently standing at the bus stop with a couple of elderly people.

Police said a 38-year-old man, Leon Thompson, from Lowestoft, will appear in court in relation to the incident



'It looked like she was minding her own business when this guy just came up and chucked something in her face before running away

'Some people said that the guy tried to steal her phone and got away with her bank card which he dropped nearby.

'But others have suggested that she might have been deliberately targeted. It is just an awful thing to happen.'

Emma Luscher, 22, who is on maternity leave with her 12-week-old son, said she was also woken by the woman screaming.

She said: 'She was screaming, saying ‘someone help me, please get me some water’.

'She was screaming over and over again. I couldn’t get up because I was feeding my baby.

'I heard her go up the road and thought it was a drunk person at first because round here you sometimes get people like that.



'She was calling out for her mum and saying, "All my face is burning" as she splashed the water on her face' Witness Jamie Gregg

'I could still hear her screaming. A few minutes later I heard an ambulance go past and realised it must be something. Then police came and cordoned it off.

'You don’t think of things like that happening here. It was quite scary with having a new born. It makes you feel you’re not safe. I just hope she’s alright.'

Nearby resident Yvonne Stewart, 75, said: 'I was getting up when I heard this really weird screaming.

'I looked out of the window and saw this woman jumping around with her hands to her head.

'There were various people around who were trying to help her and others were coming across the road.

'I saw someone pour water over her head and I thought then that it might have been some sort of acid attack.

'It is normally quiet around here. We are not used to anything like this.'

A 55-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'I didn’t see what happened. All I heard was just horrible screams.

The bus stop has been cordoned off while police carry out investigations into the attack. They said the substance had not been identified but was believed to be 'of a corrosive nature'

'I got up, looked through the curtain and just saw someone running down the road. It was horrific.'

The manager of the nearby Carlton pub confirmed the attack had been filmed by his pub’s CCTV camera. He said that the film had been taken by police, but refused to comment further.

After the incident, the bus stop where the attack took place was cordoned off while forensic tests were carried out.



Police said they were initially called by the East of England Ambulance Service to a report that a woman had suffered facial injuries after having a liquid thrown in her face

A Suffolk Police spokesman said: 'Although the substance has not yet been identified it is believed to have been of a corrosive nature.

'The woman, who is aged in her 20s has sustained injuries to her face and neck. In the first instance she has been taken to the James Paget Hospital to be treated for her injuries.

'Searches of the area were carried out by officers and with the use of the police helicopter.

'At approximately 10.35am a 38-year-old man was detained and arrested by officers in the town on suspicion of assault. He has been taken to the Gt Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

'An area remains cordoned off whilst police continue with their enquiries and gather evidence. The area will need to remain cordoned off in order to professionally clear the area of the liquid.'

The spokesman appealed for the public to keep an eye out for the bottle which may have been used during the attack.

She said a sports-style bottle, possibly a Lucozade bottle, could have been used before being discarded. Two bottles matching that description have been sent off for forensic testing.



She warned members of the public not to pick up any other bottles matching that description in case it still had any corrosive liquid inside.

Police have been searching for the bottle in the area of the bus stop and an alleyway near the bus stop where the man is believed to have run.