Acid attacks now becoming a worrying crime trend in Britain

The girls were both 17 and talented musicians and had been friends until one began dating the other’s ex-boyfriend.

A court in Scotland heard last week that, intent on revenge, the sixth-year pupil bought a popular drain cleaner, which contained 91 per cent sulphuric acid and poured it over her former friend’s musical instrument, a viola, intending to destroy it.

However, when the girl picked up her instrument case, red liquid poured from it and landed on her leg.

A lawyer said: “She looked down and saw her tights disintegrating.”

Screaming in pain, the girl was rushed to Edinburgh Infirmary, where she had plastic surgery and laser treatment for the acid burns.

The judge deferred sentence until August whilst waiting for social reports.

The Scottish case highlights a nationwide rise in the number of attacks involving corrosive substances.

Earlier this month, two men on a moped carried out five attacks over 90 minutes in London, flinging acid into the faces of other moped riders so as to steal their vehicles.

One victim said his helmet protected his face; police rushed to pour water over another man’s skin; a third rider suffered injuries that were described as life-changing — he was expected to lose the sight of one eye.

Later, a 16-year-old boy was charged with robbery, wounding and six counts of causing grievous bodily harm, and was remanded in custody.

A huge increase in attacks involving corrosive substances has taken place in Britain, with London suffering worst.

Metropolitan Police said there had been more than 1,800 such reports in the capital since 2010.

Last year, acid was used in 458 crimes in London compared to 261 in 2015.

Acid attack victim Katie Piper described the disfiguring consequences: “I will continue to need operations and therapy for life. For acid attack survivors, the aftermath is a life sentence.”

The government is to review the situation and sentences could be seriously toughened.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said perpetrators should “feel the full force of the law”.

But Crime Minister Sarah Newton said tighter regulations would be difficult to enforce because “these chemicals are under everyone’s kitchen sink”.

Bleach and ammonia are among the liquids most widely used.

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The easy familiarity of children with modern technology, especially mobile phones, has been widely remarked and, especially for the older generation, has been a matter of amused admiration.

But just what are the kids doing on their phones?

A report by the BBC says thousands of children have been involved in sexting, that is, taking nude pictures of themselves and sending them to others.

More than 4,000 children have been dealt with by police for this offence since 2013.

The most common age of those involved is 13 or 14, but one case involved a boy of five.

It is illegal to possess, take or distribute images of someone who is under 18, including yourself.

Detective Constable Steve Thubron said sexting issues were dealt with on a case by case basis, with a focus on safeguarding children.

“We deal with incidents proportionately and obviously do not criminalise children,” he said.

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