Three men have been arrested in connection with a suspected acid attack on a three-year-old boy in the British city of Worcester.

The suspects, aged 22, 25 and 26, were detained in London on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, West Mercia Police said on Monday.

A 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton arrested on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm remains in custody, the force said.

The toddler was in a stroller with his family in a shop when a corrosive substance was “thrown or sprayed” over him on Saturday afternoon, according to West Mercia Police.

He was treated in hospital for burns to his face and one arm before being released on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the long-term implications of his injuries were “uncertain”.
Worcester City Council leader Marc Bayliss described the attack as “absolutely pure evil”.

Worcester MP Robin Walker said the attack was “horrific”, and that the “shock will be universal”.

Police are continuing to appeal for information over the incident at Home Bargains in Tallow Hill.

British police have reported an increase in acid attacks during the last year, but it is rare for a victim to be so young. Some attacks are related to gang fights or late-night bar confrontations.

Most of the attacks have happened in London, but they have been reported in many parts of Britain. A London teenager was given a prison sentence of more than 10 years this year after being convicted of spraying acid into the faces of moped drivers so he could steal their mopeds.

Police also report that innocuous liquids sometimes are thrown into the face of mugging targets to make them think they have been hit with a corrosive substance, panic and give up their valuables more easily.