South Ealing Man Jailed For Acid Attack

Teenage victim left with serious burns to neck and face

Antaeus Coutain

A man from South Ealing has been jailed along with another man for his part in an acid attack on an 18-year-old man. The victim was left with serious burns to his face and neck.

Antaeus Coutain, 21 of South Ealing Road, Ealing and Mikhail Prince, 24 of Hannell Road, SW6 were sentenced to six years in prison at Kingston Crown Court after being found guilty of casting a noxious substance with intent to maim or disfigure on Fulham Palace Road this April .

Mikhail Prince

Prince was also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon and had earlier pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm to a woman, who had been near the victim when he threw the acid.

The court heard during the trial that it was Prince who threw the acid at the victim, while Coutain had acted as a look-out.

The Met's Trident and Area Crime Command investigated the incident, and Prince and Coutain were identified from CCTV footage taken near the scene.

Coutain and Prince were arrested on Monday, 22 May and both charged in June.

Detective Inspector James Hale, of the Met's Trident and Area Crime Command, said: "Noxious substances can be devastating when used as weapon. In this case, Prince planned his attack and brazenly targeted his victim in the street and in broad daylight.

"As a result he inflicted serious injuries on a young man, which have resulted in permanent scarring. This reckless attack also injured a woman, who just happened to be near the intended victim when this vicious assault was carried out.

"Coutain also played a role in the attack, and his culpability was clear with a jury also finding him guilty of the attack.

"They have both been jailed for a significant period of time, which shows the seriousness with which the courts treat these types of incidents."

12th December 2017