Man Organized Acid Attack On 3-Year-Old Son To Win Custody Battle

A 40-year-old man, who stood trial at a court in Worcester, United Kingdom allegedly planned and arranged an acid attack on his three-year-old son. Prosecutors also told court six others were involved.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees said the father organized the attack amid a custody battle, as he wanted to prove his wife was not capable of taking care of their child.

The incident took place on July 21, 2018 at a Home Bargains store in Worcester. Parts of the victim’s face and arm were burned. Though the father was not identified by his name, in order to protect the child’s identity, the others involved were identified as 27-year-old Adam Cech, 25-year-old Jan Dudi, 22-year-old Norbert Pulko, 22-year-old Martina Badiova, 41-year-old Saied Hussini and 41-year-old Jabar Paktia.

Like the father, the others too have denied their involvement.

The prosecutor said a solution of sulfuric acid was used by perpetrators on a defenseless kid. "As a result of the attack, the little boy suffered acid burns to his left forearm and his forehead which were treated in hospital," he said. Rees added the victim has recovered well.

He said it was Cech who carried out the activity while the boy was inside the store with his mother and siblings.

"It was over almost in the blink of the eye and may have gone undetected were it not for the fact it was captured on the shop's internal CCTV system," the prosecutor told the jury at Worcester Crown Court.

"At the time he carried out the attack, Cech was accompanied by two other defendants in the store, namely the third and fourth defendants, Jan Dudi and Norbert Pulko," he added.

Rees said the father was hurt after his wife left him and took their three children with her in April 2016. The man was allowed supervised contact with the kids twice a month.

"However, he was seeking greater access and was pursuing a court application to this effect," he said. "This application was being opposed by his wife. We say the evidence suggests that in an effort to ensure his application was successful, he was willing to manufacture evidence of injuries to his children in an attempt to show that his wife was unable to care for them, in other words she was an unfit mother."