Men arrested after suspected acid attack on 3-yr-old

The men were arrested by police in London. Photo: Getty Images
The men were arrested by police in London. Photo: Getty Images
British police have arrested three men in London after suspected acid attack on a three-year-old boy in the city of Worcester.

The boy was taken to hospital with serious burns to his arm and face after an incident at the Home Bargains store in Worcester, central England, on Saturday.

"He has since been discharged but the long-term implications of his injuries are unknown at this time," West Mercia police said.

Police said they had arrested three men, aged 22, 25 and 26, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Another 39-year-old man remains in custody.

Britain has seen a steep rise in acid attacks recently and the government is taking action to tighten sales of corrosive substances, particularly to those aged under 18.

Acid attacks cost Britain £60 million ($NZ115 million) a year, according to experts who say the number of attacks - which often target girls and women - has more than trebled since 2014.

The analysis, released earlier this month, is the first attempt to evaluate the economic impact of acid attacks in Britain. Almost 950 attacks were reported last year, according to the charity Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI).

"There is an obvious moral case for intervention, but these figures show that the costs associated with acid attacks are astronomical," ASTI executive director Jaf Shah told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

ASTI and economics consultancy firm Frontier Economics estimated each attack cost £63,000, and predicted the total cost between 2015 and 2020 would be about £345 million.

They looked at costs to the health service, including medical and psychosocial support, costs to the police, judicial and penal systems, and the cost to victims of lost earnings and reduced productivity.

Acid attacks cause skin and tissue to melt, leaving victims facing permanent disfigurement, medical complications, psychological trauma and social and economic ostracisation. Survivors often require long-term support.

- additional reporting by Thompson Reuters Foundation

Comments

The perpetrators are seriously disturbed and should be contained, securely.