A man who threw acid onto two men through a car window in a deliberate attack in East London has been jailed for 14 years.
Rahad Hussain, 24, threw sulphuric acid at the men – Mohammed Ahmed, 24, and Mohammad Hussain, 25 – in Roman Road, Bethnal Green, in July 2017.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, he admitted two offences of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one of having an offensive weapon.
The court heard how the car had stopped briefly at a junction when one of the men recognised Hussain as someone he knew from school, prompting him to approach and throw the acid.
Both men suffered burns to their faces but were able to drive to a nearby shop where they were doused with water.
Mr Hussain said he felt a “burning sensation” and “terrible pain” before telling Mr Ahmed he “has a bottle of acid” and to drive off.
The two men managed to reach a local shop owned by Abdul Karim who described them as “screaming in pain” as their skin was “peeling off of their faces.” Mr Karim and other members of the public emptied 30-40 bottles of water over them which lessened their injuries, the court heard. But both men suffered first degree burns and some permanent scarring.
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Stephen Earnshaw, prosecuting, said Hussain attacked the two men for “no apparent reason.”
Hussain handed himself in to Stoke Newington police station two days later and was identified by the victims despite a “cunning” attempt to change his appearance.
Mr Ahmed is still on medication to deal with the psychological damage the attack has caused, the court heard. Judge Simon Mayo QC read a note from Hussain in which he expressed how “sorry” he was and how he felt like a “coward.”
Louise Moore, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was a deliberate assault on two people. They were extremely lucky not to suffer more serious injuries. This is another in a string of recent acid and corrosive substance attack convictions which have seen long prison sentences and should send a very strong message not to carry or use acid as a weapon.”
