The father of a 3-year-old British boy, who suffered serious burns to his face in arm in an apparent acid attack, has been charged in the incident and was due in court Tuesday along with five other men.
The man, 39, who wasn’t identified, and five others were charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm after the substance was thrown on the child inside a Home Bargains store in July.
Adam Cech, 27, Jan Dudi, 25, Norbert Pulko, 22, Saied Hussini, 41, and Jabar Paktia, 41, were among those charged in the Worcester attack, according to Sky News.
The child was discharged from the hospital days after suffering the burns, but police said the long-term prognosis of his injuries is not yet known.
The use of corrosive liquids, which leave victims gruesomely disfigured with life-altering injuries, has grown in popularity the last few years.
In Britain, the number of reported attacks using acid rose from 262 in 2015 to 454 in 2016. In 2017, there were more than 500 acid attacks reported across the region.
British police have reported seeing an increase in acid attacks during the last year, but it is very rare for a victim to be so young. Some attacks are related to gang fights or late-night bar confrontations.
Robin Walker, the Worcester representative in Parliament, said lawmakers are considering toughening sentences for people convicted of any type of intentional assault with acid.
He described what happened to the 3-year-old boy as “horrific.”
Fox News’ Lucia I. Suarez Sang contributed to this report.
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