A teenager Monday admitted throwing strong acid at six moped riders in a spree of robberies over an hour-and-a-half, a court heard.
Derryck John, 17, who can be named after a judge lifted reporting restrictions, was 16 when he carried out the attacks across east and north London on July 13 last year.
Minutes before he was due to stand trial at London’s Wood Green crown court Monday, he pleaded guilty to six counts of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to ‘disable, burn, maim, disfigure or to do grievous bodily harm’.
He also admitted two counts of robbery and four counts of attempted robbery. A further count of robbery from June 25 will be dealt with later. His mother fled the court in tears.
Meanwhile, Major British stores including Tesco, Waitrose, Wilko and B&Q have banned the sale of acid to youngsters under 18. The retailers, along with Wickes, Screwfix, the Co-Op, Morrisons and John Lewis have voluntarily signed up to the plan in a country-wide bid to crack down on crimes involving corrosive substances.
