Acid Attacks – New Laws in Force
After a recent spate of assaults involving the use of acids and other corrosive substances, the government has acted to try and curb their use.
At the present time around 15 offences per week involve the use of acid and other like substances.
In January 2018, the Home Office announced a voluntary agreement with a number of major retailers in which they made commitments about the responsible sales of corrosive substances. This included not selling products containing the most harmful substances to under 18s. The agreement was developed with the British Retail Consortium and also tested with the Association of Convenience Stores and the British Independent Retailers Association, to ensure that the commitments were proportionate and worked in the retail environment.
The major retailers who have signed up to the commitments are: Wickes, Screwfix, B&Q, Wilko, Waitrose, John Lewis, Tesco, the Co-op, Morrisons, Aldi UK, Lakeland, Asda and Homebase.
Recent developments
On 1st November 2018 new legislation came in to force to further strengthen the controls against possessing corrosive substances.
There are controls in the Poisons Act 1972 on corrosive substances that can be used as poisons or as to make explosives.
Parliament has enacted a statutory instrument which makes sulphuric acid a regulated explosives precursor above a concentration level of 15%.
The effect of this will mean that members of the public will require a licence from the Home Office to be able to import, acquire, possess or use sulphuric acid.
What is the penalty for breaching this law?
If found guilty, the offence carries a maximum sentence of 2 years’ imprisonment.
How can we help?
The law is complicated and the potential consequences severe. For expert advice, please contact John Howey on 020 7388 1658 or email info@jfhlaw.co.uk.
Please note that the information contained in this article was correct at the time of writing. There may have been updates to the law since the article was written, which may affect the information and advice given therein.
