A woman has been left with burns on her back and head after a ‘substance attack’ inside a pub – as police launch manhunt.
The horrific incident took place in the Golden Lion pub in Jay’s Close, Basingstoke between 9.30pm and 10pm on Saturday.
The woman was left ‘extremely distressed’ by what happened to her and she suffered reddening to her skin, blisters, and had to have most of her hair cut off due to the matting.
The victim was walking through the pub when the mystery substance was thrown on her hair and back which caused a burning sensation on her skin and caused her hair to matt.
Police are trying to establish what the substance used in the attack was.
The horrific incident took place in the Golden Lion pub in Jay’s Close, Basingstoke between 9.30pm and 10pm on Saturday
A map of where the pub is where the horrifying attack took place
Were you in the pub? Email: [email protected]
Two men, aged 48 and 53, both from Basingstoke, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. They have both been released on bail until May 10.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘Officers are appealing for information after a woman sustained injuries when a substance was thrown at her in Basingstoke.
‘As the woman walked through the pub she had a substance thrown in her hair and on her back. The substance caused a burning sensation to her skin and for her hair to matt. Work is ongoing to establish what the substance is but it is not thought to be acid.
‘There was a band playing in the pub at the time of the incident and it was very crowded.
‘The woman was wearing a leopard print top. Did you see her, or did you witness the incident?
‘Did you take any photos or video footage while you were there? You may have caught the incident on your camera.
‘The woman has been left extremely distressed by what happened to her. She has suffered reddening to her skin, blisters and had to have most of her hair cut off due to the matting.’
The terrifying attack comes amid a sharp rise in acid attacks, with the number of attacks increasing by 45 per cent last year in London and a staggering 69 per cent across England and Wales, according to the Acid Survivors Trust International (Asti) charity.
Abdul Ezedi was last seen leaving Tower Hill underground station in east London at 9.33pm on January 31
A police boat is seen on the Thames on Saturday as officers search for the body of Ezedi
And charities say female acid attack victims are not being taken seriously by police and do not feel safe going out at night amid a rise in chemical attacks by abusive boyfriends in Britain.
The highest profile acid attack recently occurred in Clapman, London on January 31 and police are still searching for suspect Abdul Ezedi in the case.
Police have been searching for his body in the Thames as CCTV footage suggests he may have jumped in on the night of the attack.
Ezedi left a mother and two young girls needing hospital treatment after he doused them in a strong alkali substance. It is believed Ezedi and the woman were in a relationship.
In another terrifying incident in London, a man threatened a bus driver and passengers with a corrosive substance on Sunday.
The incident began when a man, reported to be in his late 30s, boarded a 109 bus in Brixton and subsequently started smoking.
Passengers confronted the man before he took out a bottle of what was believed to be a corrosive substance.
A three-hour stand-off took ensued between police and the ‘acid-armed man’ before he was arrested after police stormed the vehicle and stripped him in the street.
Nobody was injured in the incident.
Emergency services, including officers in specialised blue chemical suits, were called to the scene in Croydon
The man could be seen being dressed in an orange jumpsuit, before being strapped to a gurney and taken to hospital for medical evaluations
On the same day as the standoff in Croydon, a man was attacked with a ‘noxious substance’ in a graveyard in Kent.
The victim was assaulted while going to the St Laurence Graveyard in Ramsgate on Sunday night at around 8.20pm.
He was rushed to hospital for burns to the back of his head. His injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.
Kent Police have asked anyone with information to come forward after they launched a manhunt.
Were you in the pub? Email: [email protected]