NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

UK authorities scrambling to fight rise in acid attacks

By Victoria Craw, news.com.au
news.com.au·
29 Jul, 2017 12:43 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The UK has been left in shock with some terrifying 'face-melting' attacks. Photo / Getty

The UK has been left in shock with some terrifying 'face-melting' attacks. Photo / Getty

A plastic bottle and a split-second is all it takes to change their victims lives forever in the disturbing new "face-melter" trend growing in the UK.

A spate of acid attacks have rocked the country in recent weeks, sparking fear over the ease at which they can be carried out and their seemingly random nature, news.com.au reports.

This week, two men stripped to their underwear in public begging for water after being sprayed from a bottle in the street. Pictures show their clothing melting and witnesses report seeing skin "peeling off" in what police called a "suspected acid attack".

It comes after a 16-year-old boy was charged with 15 offences after allegedly carrying out a 90 minute rampage around North and East London targeting scooter delivery drivers that injured five people.

Drivers have taken to the streets in protest, with victims calling for tougher sentencing and greater restrictions on selling the product.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The UK's Metropolitan Police said there has been a spike in the attacks in recent years, rising from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016.

Australian model sisters Prue and Isobel Fraser were caught up in one terrifying Easter nightclub attack in which two men were left blinded and two more with severe facial injuries after a fight erupted inside a venue called Mangle.

At the time, Isobel shared pictures of her drastic burns covering her back and arms, saying it felt like she had a drink spilt on her.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Apparently some people got it in the eye and can't see. I just have some burns on my arms and on my back, and my shirt actually that I was wearing ... actually stuck to my skin, I had to get it off my skin," she said.

"It sort of went everywhere. I could not breathe. I thought we were getting gassed. I thought it was a terrorist attack. I was freaking out."

Meanwhile her sister Prue described it as "pain like I had never experienced before" amid complete chaos after 600 people were evacuated from the club.

'WIN-WIN SITUATION'Police and authorities are grappling with how to battle the scourge as acid has apparently been adopted as a weapon by young street gangs. Acid attacks carry less of a penalty than knife crime and police are not yet sure how to restrict access to something that is a common household product.

Discover more

World

Petrol bombs in protest over black man's death

29 Jul 04:38 AM
World

Britain bans acid sales to teens

03 Oct 07:24 PM

A recent VICE documentary unveiled the sinister mentality that sees acid used against women in particular. An unidentified gang member said "nine times out of ten" he would use it on a girl.

"On a guy I probably wouldn't, I'd probably do something physical but on a girl. They love their beauty," he said.

"On a guy you get scarred, it's nothing. But when it's a girl, it's 'look at my face'. Nine times out of 10 I'll use it on a girl honestly."

He also admitted being with a friend when they spotted a rival gang member or "ops" with his "baby mum" and attacked them at the supermarket.

"My boy brought out a Lucozade bottle. I was like 'what's that?' he was like 'don't worry fam, just come'".

"Her face was just messed up," he said. When asked why he attacked the innocent woman, he replied "she's his baby mum," "If I can't damage you enough, I'm coming for your people."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It echoes comments from another gang member who told Mail Online using acid was a "win-win situation" because it was cheap, easy to get hold of and carried lighter sentences than other weapons.

Acid Survivors Trust International's Jaz Shah said masculinity is "probably an underlying cause" of the attacks that are carried out against men and women.

"We really need to understand what it is about our culture that facilitates this kind of behaviour. It has to be about engaging with young men and encouraging them to understand the repercussions of violence," he said.

Acid attack victim Samir Hussein said his life will never be the same after he was randomly attacked after watching a movie with a friend.

"My first thought was why me because I hadn't done anything wrong," he said, adding that he now wears a permanent mask to reduce scarring and he's afraid of what people are capable of.

"My identity has changed. I'm not the same person. Now I'm taking a different path in life," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

UK Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was worried by the rise in "barbaric" attacks and is working with the government to see if the law needs to change.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May hinted a change might be due after the "horrific" 90 minute rampage earlier in July but has not committed to anything yet.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

'Regime of corruption': Divisive election to choose judges by vote

02 Jun 07:13 AM
World

'The defence will call Erin Patterson': Alleged poisoner to testify

02 Jun 06:34 AM
World

Why Poland's presidential result is a blow to its pro-EU centrist govt

02 Jun 06:16 AM

‘No regrets’ for Rotorua Retiree

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

'Regime of corruption': Divisive election to choose judges by vote

'Regime of corruption': Divisive election to choose judges by vote

02 Jun 07:13 AM

Voter turnout was about 13% of 100 million eligible voters.

'The defence will call Erin Patterson': Alleged poisoner to testify

'The defence will call Erin Patterson': Alleged poisoner to testify

02 Jun 06:34 AM
Why Poland's presidential result is a blow to its pro-EU centrist govt

Why Poland's presidential result is a blow to its pro-EU centrist govt

02 Jun 06:16 AM
ITUC: Workers' rights 'in free fall' worldwide

ITUC: Workers' rights 'in free fall' worldwide

02 Jun 04:02 AM
Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design
sponsored

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP