London: A tattooed thug was on Saturday jailed for 16 years by a British court for a horrific and life-changing acid attack on an aspiring Pakistani-origin model and her cousin.
John Tomlin, 25, threw acid at Resham Khan and Jameel Muhktar on June 21, 2017. They were attacked as they were out celebrating Khan's 21st birthday.
Tomlin, who has six teardrops tattooed on his face, attacked the duo while they waited in a car at traffic lights in Beckton, east London. They were doused with acid through the car window.
Khan told Snaresbrook Crown Court that her birthday "turned into a day where my face was taken away from me".
"I have been looking at myself in the mirror it upsets me, it brings back the incident on the day, it doesn't look like me," she added in her victim impact statement.
Sentencing Tomlin, Judge Sheelagh Canavan said the injuries were "dreadful and life-changing".
"It is becoming all too common an occurrence on our streets that members of the public are pouring water over people who have had acid thrown over them, as if this is some sort of fashionable assault that is being carried out," she said.
Tomlin was caught on CCTV chasing after the car and emptying the bottle of acid over Muhktar as he sped away. He was arrested after handing himself in to the police a month after the attack and said in a police interview that he was "hearing voices in my head".
John Tomlin attacked the duo on June 21, 2017. (Photo: Facebook)
Khan, a Manchester Metropolitan University student, suffered face and neck injuries and was left with damage to her left eye.
She will carry lifelong scars and has suffered from severe depression and anxiety as a result of the attack, the court heard, the BBC reported.
Mukhtar, 37, who had to be placed in an induced coma, has permanent scarring to his head, neck and body and has lost hearing in one of his ears. In his victim statement he told the court he suffers from depression and has tried to take his own life.
"I get flashbacks and am really worried to leave my house, constantly looking over my right shoulder fearing attacks," he added. "I am mentally and physically scarred for life. I can't even have a relationship," he said.
Helen Taylor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said it was an "appalling attack that left the victims with physical and psychological scars".
"This case serves as a warning of the harm acid can cause and that those who use it as a weapon can face significant prison sentences," she added.
