Derryck John appeared in court via a video link. Photo / Metropolitan police
Derryck John appeared in court via a video link. Photo / Metropolitan police
A teenager who carried out a spate of "despicable" acid attacks in London against scooter riders in a bid to steal their vehicles has been jailed for 10 and a half years.
Derryck John, from Croydon, south London, attacked six men by spraying them in the face with a noxiousliquid in successive robbery attempts over two hours on 13 July last year, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to six counts of throwing acid over his victims with "the intent to disable, maim, disfigure or do grievous bodily harm" in north and east London. John also pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and four counts of attempted robbery.
One of his victims suffered a 30 per cent loss of sight in one eye, while others have been forced to leave their jobs as a result of their injuries.
DS James Leeks from Hackney CID said John "did not think twice about using a life changing and even potentially life-threatening substance" against those who resisted his robbery attempts.
"It beggars belief that anyone would be prepared to scar someone for life and leave them to live with life-changing injuries for the sake of a phone or a moped," he said.
"We are working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets hostile territory for criminals who steal scooters and use them to snatch valuables from members of the public.
"We have a particular focus on the small number of criminals prepared to use corrosive substances to do so."
John was arrested a few hours after the attacks following a road traffic collision involving a suspected stolen scooter linked him to the attacks.
Judge Noel Lucas QC said John's actions were "despicable and cowardly", adding: "These were grave crimes. You attacked members of the public with what appears to have been an acid at the strongest end of the scale of acids."
CCTV of Derryck John visiting a service station were "key to his identification," the crown Prosecution Service said. Photo / CPS
The judge, who in December sentenced Arthur Collins, the ex-boyfriend of reality TV-star Ferne McCann, to 20 years in jail after he carried out a brutal acid attack in a packed nightclub, said corrosive substance attacks had risen sharply in the last 12 months.
"It is clear to me that the carrying and use of corrosive liquids is rapidly becoming a serious and growing problem in London and in particular, in this part of London," he said.
Police are still appealing for information about the identity of a second scooter driver.
