THE UK police, investigating a suspected acid attack outside a London school that left two teenagers hospitalised, arrested a 35-year-old man last Thursday (3). One of the victims sustained potentially life-changing injuries.
Three people were injured when a substance was thrown at students and a staff member outside Westminster Academy in west London last Monday (30) afternoon.
The 35-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of last Thursday on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and taken to a central London police station. He was bailed last Friday (4), according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police.
“The investigation team has been working tirelessly to piece together the events in which two young victims, aged 16 and 14, were approached outside the school by a lone man who threw a substance at them before fleeing,” said Detective Superintendent Scott Ware.
The 14-year-old girl, Tegan McFarlane, sustained serious injuries. “It may still be some time before we know the true extent of how serious her injuries are, but at this time, they are being treated as potentially life-changing,” Ware added.
Corey McFarlane, Tegan’s father, told the Evening Standard that his daughter was in stable condition after suffering burns to the left side of her face, though she may be scarred for life.
“She’s traumatised by the attack,” he said. “She’s very scared about her injuries. She’s a young girl, and these scars could be for life. She’s very worried about that and has been asking about it. I can’t explain what I’m going through. Words can’t explain it.”
The 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old woman were discharged from hospital, and their injuries are not believed to be life-changing.
Numera Anwar, the school’s principal, confirmed that a student, a teacher, and a member of the public were injured in the “distressing incident” involving an “acid-like corrosive substance.”
“This took place after school hours when students and staff were leaving the school site,” she added. “We are offering support to families and relatives of all involved. This is a difficult time for our community, and I took the decision to close the school last Tuesday (1) to allow for a thorough investigation and to ensure the school can resume normally with all safety measures in place.”
Britain has seen a resurgence in attacks involving corrosive substances such as acid, with incidents spiking in the middle of the last decade and declining before another rise in 2022.
This year, the issue returned to the spotlight after an attack on a woman and her two young daughters in London.
Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif and his wife Beinash Batool (Image credit: Surrey Police)
