Acid attack leaves London takeaway driver fighting for life after thugs try to steal his moped

A takeaway delivery driver is fighting for his life in hospital after having acid thrown in his face by two men who tried to steal his scooter.

A witness saw the man in his 30s struggling to get back inside the house he had just delivered to after he had been attacked by thugs on a moped in Walpole Road in Walthamstow, East London. The incident happened yesterday evening (2 November) just past 6pm.

Residents heard one of the two attackers shout, "give me the keys" to the delivery man, who was about to get back on his scooter.

Rebecca Nash, whose friend had ordered the delivery, told the Evening Standard: "The driver was frantically trying to get into a house to escape being sprayed. It's so shocking.

"If they were after his bike and he didn't resist why would they spray him anyway?"

The victim, who has not been named, was rushed to an East London hospital with "life-threatening injuries", according to Met Police.

Around 25 minutes later, police were called to a second acid attack in Tottenham, about 1.5 miles from the first incident.

The second attack was also carried out by two suspects on a moped in an attempted robbery. The unnamed victim, also in his 30s, was taken to hospital but his condition is not said to be life-threatening.

Police said the two incidents are not currently being linked.

Earlier this week, a pair of youngsters who attacked two men with sulphuric acid leaving them with "life destroying" scars were jailed for a combined total of 15 years.

Kaha Miah, 20, from Forest Gate and a 16-year-old boy were jailed for nine and six years respectively at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday.

The victims, Musa Miah and Syed Bashar, saw the attackers vandalising a car outside a tower block in Poplar in March.

They confronted the vandals, but were doused in acid from an Appletiser bottle after the teenager handed the container over to Miah.

Sentencing the pair the recorder said: "Police officers came upon the victims and noticed their injuries looked as if their faces were melting."