Man, 35, arrested after girl seriously hurt in ‘acid attack’ outside school

A man, 35, has been arrested after a suspected acid attack outside a school left a girl, 14, with ‘life-changing’ injuries and two others hospitalised.

The ‘corrosive’ substance was allegedly thrown at students outside Westminster Academy on Monday afternoon.

A boy, 16, was also injured in the attack but has since been discharged from hospital.

A school employee who was injured while ‘bravely and selflessly rushed to provide first aid’ has also been discharged.

The man, 35, has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, investigating the incident, said: ‘The investigation team has been working tirelessly to piece together the events in which two young victims, aged 16 and 14, were approached outside the school by a lone man who threw a substance at them before fleeing.

‘We launched an urgent manhunt to identify and arrest the man responsible for this horrific attack. I am pleased to confirm a man was arrested in the early hours of this morning in connection with the incident.

‘The 14-year-old girl sustained serious injuries and has returned to hospital having been briefly discharged by doctors. It may still be some time before we know the true extent of how serious her injuries are, but at this time they are being treated as potentially life-changing.

‘The 16-year-old boy has now been discharged by the hospital and fortunately, his injuries are not as severe as the girl’s.

‘A member of staff from the school also sustained injuries as she rushed to the youngsters to provide first aid to them.’

The school’s principal Numera Anwar said: ‘One pupil, a teacher and a member of the public have been injured in an incident outside the school building on the main road involving an acid-like corrosive substance.

‘This was a distressing incident which took place after school hours when students and staff were leaving the school site. We are offering support to families and relatives of all involved.

‘This is a difficult time for our community and I took the decision to close the school today to allow for a thorough investigation and to ensure the school can resume normally from tomorrow with all safety measures in place.’

Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said: ‘This is a truly shocking attack on school pupils and a member of staff.

‘The council has been in touch with Westminster Academy and we will provide educational psychologists and any other support to help children through what is a traumatic ordeal. Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected.

‘Clearly, this attack will be unsettling for the whole academy and the wider community, and we will be working with police to provide reassurance and whatever support we can. We would urge anyone with information about what has happened to contact the police.’

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