An acid attacker who severely burnt two men in a parked car for ‘no apparent reason’ has been jailed for 10 years. Rahad Hussain, 24, hurled concentrated sulphuric acid at Mohammed Ahmed, 24, and Mohammad Hussain, 25, causing the skin on their faces to start ‘peeling’ off.
The two men were sitting in Mr Ahmed’s black Volkswagen Jetta in Bethnal Green, east London, on July 25 when they saw Hussain drive past and wave at them. Hussain returned a few minutes later to throw the contents of a bottle of acid through the passenger side window over Mr Hussain.
But Mr Ahmed stalled the car which caused the electric windows to open further, and Hussain emptied the contents of the acid bottle over him. Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Hussain, who has known Mr Ahmed since school, shouted ‘you want some’ before throwing the corrosive fluid.
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. Mr Ahmed sustained damage to his ear and the surface of his eye.
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.’
