Teenage refugee left completely blind in racist acid attack ‘living in fear’

The man and his friend were attacked in broad daylight in Thornton Heath
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A teenage refugee left completely blind in an acid attack today said it had “destroyed” his life as he pleaded for help to bring his assailant to justice.

The 19-year-old, from Eritrea, described the devastating emotional and physical impact of the attack, which took place as he walked to school in Thornton Heath, south London, last December.

Detectives believe the teenager, who has asked not be named, was targeted by the same thug who had battered him with a bicycle chain three months earlier.

“My life is destroyed. I have lost my eyesight in both eyes,” he told the Standard. “I feel always scared. I have panic attacks. My heart is broken.”

He said he had never met his attacker before and believes it was racially motivated. Police say the motive is unknown but are investigating whether it was a racist attack. No arrests have been made.

The victim, then 18, had been walking to school with a fellow Eritrean refugee at about 8.10am on December 7 when the pair were approached by a man on Thornton Road.

The man hurled a cup of corrosive liquid in the teenager’s face before fleeing.

“The man had a mask on and he was wearing a hooded jacket,” the victim said. We didn’t take much notice of him.

“As he came closer to us he stopped and, without any word, he threw the acid on both of us.”

The teenager’s friend, 25, was also taken to hospital after the attack with temporary sight loss, and still experiences pain from his injuries. Da’aro, a youth project for young asylum seekers and refugees, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support both victims.

Detectives believe the attacker had previously targeted the teenage refugee three months earlier, on September 7, after he called at the victim’s flat claiming to be delivering a letter.

CCTV footage showed the suspect punching him twice in the face with a bicycle chain wrapped around his fist, before walking off. Police are trying to trace a white van driver who may have seen the assault or even spoken to the attacker before he left the scene.

The suspect is described as white or Asian, slim, with a black hooded jacket, dark trousers and shoes or boots. He wore a light blue medical mask and a dark baseball cap during both attacks.

The attack was featured on BBC One’s Crimewatch Live last week and Crimestoppers are offering a £5,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.

The victim said: “I am a refugee, I came here to gain freedom of speech and to be free without fear of attack - because my life was at risk in Eritrea.”

Detective sergeant Natalie Reseigh said: “The corrosive substance attack was a violent and unprovoked assault on two innocent victims and we are doing everything in our power to bring the person responsible to justice.

“The victims were left shaken, injured and their lives have been changed forever as a result of this individual’s actions.”

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