A young Muslim woman has been warned by police that her life is in danger after a male friend lost his tongue in an alleged assault using acid in an apparent “honor attack”.
The Asian man is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after an incident in Leytonstone, East London, three weeks ago. Sulphuric acid is said to have been thrown in his face and he was stabbed twice in the back.
The 24-year-old, being treated in a specialist unit in Essex, is now blind, his tongue has been destroyed and he suffered 90 per cent burns.
The woman, who claims the relationship is an innocent friendship, and the man live in the Asian community of East London, where their relationship is said to have upset her family for bringing dishonor on them.
Scotland Yard have issued what is known as an “Osman warning” — telling the woman that there is a threat to her life.
A police source told The Times that she had not been moved into a safe house but police were in daily contact with her.
Detectives believe that the man and woman were not in a sexual relationship but were just friends.
Two men, aged 19 and 25, are due to appear before Waltham Forest Magistrates today, charged with the attempted murder of the 24-year-old man on July 2, 2009. Both men are said to be related to the woman, one is understood to be her brother.
Five men have been arrested and bailed “pending further inquiries” by police.
At the time of the attack a police source said: “It looks like this gang set out to deliberately target this man. They were dressed in masks and gloves so none of the acid would get on them.”
An Osman warning system follows a legal ruling directing that police have a “duty of care" to issue alerts, not only to civilians but also to known criminals.
It was introduced after a high-profile failure by officers to protect several individuals from Paul Paget-Lewis, a teacher suffering from psychotic tendencies. In 1988 Paget-Lewis wounded a former pupil, Ahmet Osman, to whom he had formed a disturbing attachment, and killed his father, Ali, as well as two others.
Many people warned by police seek alternative accommodation with relatives or move abroad, while others can be taken into the witness protection programme.
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