Police are intensifying their hunt for a refugee over an alkaline substance attack in Clapham which left a girl and her mother with potentially life-changing injuries
Abdul Ezedi, 35, from the Newcastle area, described by police as having “significant injuries to the right side of his face”, is still on the run, having last been seen at a Tesco Express on Caledonian Road in north London on Wednesday evening.
The sighting came just over an hour after the attack on a 31-year-old woman, believed to be known to Ezedi, who was with her daughters, aged three and eight. All three remain in hospital.
Last night, dozens of police dressed in hazmat suits raided an address in Leytonstone, where Ezedi was thought to have a connection. However they found no sign of the suspect. Ezedi, who is reportedly from Afghanistan, was convicted of a sexual offence in 2018 and given a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed he was sentenced on January 9 of that year after pleading guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure.
He was granted asylum after two failed attempts, having reportedly travelled to the UK on a lorry in 2016, it is believed.
Ezedi was allowed to stay in the country after a priest confirmed he had converted to Christianity and was “wholly committed” to his new religion, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
