High strength corrosive substance thrown over man during attack in High Wycombe on Halloween 2018

Bevelwood Gardens, High Wycombe.

A man sustained burns to his face and feet after a high strength corrosive substance was thrown at him during at attack in High Wycombe on the evening of Wednesday 31st October 2018.

At about 7.45pm, a man in his thirties, was at home in Bevelwood Gardens, High Wycombe when there was a knock at the door. The man answered the door to find someone dressed as a ghost, in a white sheet with eye holes cut out.

The man in his thirties, the victim, assumed the person was a trick or treater for Halloween, however the the person dressed as the ghost threw two cups of liquid over the victim. The victim sustained burns to his face and feet and was treated at Wycombe General Hospital however he has since been discharged.

The liquid was pink in colour and has been confirmed as high strength corrosive substance.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Mitchell of Force CID based at Aylesbury police station, said: ‘This is a worrying attack involving a liquid, which has been established by our colleagues at Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as a high strength corrosive substance.

As it was Halloween, the victim assumed he was answering the door to a trick or treater, but without warning the offender threw two cups of liquid at him.

Although the victim sustained burns to his face and feet, thankfully these were not too serious and he is now recovering, having been treated by staff at Wycombe General Hospital.

We are making an appeal today to anyone who has any information about the incident to come forward. Did you see anything suspicious in Bevelwood Gardens at about 7.45pm last night, such as someone running in the area, or has someone told you something about the incident?

We would also like to hear from anyone who has any footage that may aid our investigation; whether it’s from a smart doorbell, mobile phone, CCTV or dashcam.

If you have any information please visit our website https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/ or call 101 and quote reference number 1431 (31/10).

Alternatively, if you don’t want to speak to the police then contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org.‘

Deputy Local Policing Area Commander for High Wycombe, Chief Inspector Graham Hadley said: ‘I understand that this incident will cause concern in the local community, but I can reassure you that we are conducting a thorough investigation to find the perpetrator. We will be conducting house to house enquiries in the area and obtaining and reviewing CCTV.

We believe this is an isolated incident and there have been no other similar reports to the Force.

There is a scenewatch in place in Bevelwood Gardens and there will be increased police patrols in the area over the next few days, so if you have any concerns or information please speak to one of our officers.‘

Firefighters were called to the incident at 7.51pm. One fire appliance with crew attended from Beaconsfield fire station as well as one from Aylesbury fire station. Two officers also attended. The firefighters provided assistance to Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service.