A friend of the attacker told the victim ‘you are going to melt now’, a court heard
Liam Best has been jailed(Image: Humberside Police)
An unsuspecting victim suffered “nasty” burns after a sadistic serial criminal suddenly threw “highly dangerous” liquid in his face during a senseless “random” street attack. Young troublemaker Liam Best hurled the “noxious” liquid at the other man without warning. A gloating friend of Best taunted the shocked victim by telling him: “You are going to melt now, you c***.”
The victim went straight home to wash his skin but he suffered burns and a scar from the substance, Hull Crown Court heard. Best, 21, of Cropton Road, west Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to burn, maim, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm to the man, in Castleton Avenue, west Hull, on November 23. He also admitted possessing 10 tablets of Pregabalin while at Clough Road police station, Hull, on November 24.
Maya Hanson, prosecuting, said that the man was walking down a track to meet a friend in the Bricknell Avenue area of west Hull when Best cycled past him. Another man said “muppet” so he turned round to see what was going on.
Best and the other man walked towards him. Best was holding a 750ml Lucozade bottle in his right hand and he threw some liquid towards the other man.
The victim felt the liquid on the inside of his lip. He later said that it felt like an oil-based substance. Some of the liquid went onto the left side of his face. “It started to burn,” said Miss Hanson.
The other man with Best told him: “You are going to melt now, you c***.” It was not known what the chemical-type substance was but the person with Best must have known what it was for him to make the comment about melting, the court heard.
The victim believed that, from the burning sensation, it must have been acid. He turned, walked away and went to his home. “He rubbed mud on his hands to try to clean the liquid,” said Miss Hanson.
“He went straight to the kitchen sink to wash his skin.” An ambulance crew went to his home and told him to wash the burns with salt water. He was advised to wash his clothes.
He was taken to Accident and Emergency at Hull Royal Infirmary. There were burns to his cheekbone areas, temple and neck. There was no eye irritation.
The victim later said that it was a “random” attack and he had walked past Best “loads of times” in the past and nothing had happened. “I don’t know why this has happened,” he said.
“I am now constantly looking over my shoulder when I am out. I find it easier to stay in because of this.” The scabs from the burns had gone but he had a scar on his cheek, which affected his social confidence.
Best was arrested on November 24. Pregabalin tablets fell from his trouser leg while he was at the police station. He made mainly no comment to questions during police interview.
Best had convictions for 84 previous offences, three of them involving assaults. He had been jailed in February last year for 14 days for assaulting an emergency worker.
Billy Torbett, mitigating, said that Best was lucky that the victim’s injuries were not more serious. “His offending has been wholly unacceptable,” said Mr Torbett.
“He is remorseful for his offending and he knows that this simply can’t happen again. Thankfully, there were no lasting injuries. It has to be accepted that this substance was corrosive.
“It can’t be pinpointed exactly what this substance was. It has to be conceded that it was dangerous. The second male that was involved hasn’t been charged.”
Only three of Best’s previous convictions involved violence and the throwing of the substance was out of character for him. Most of his previous offences were committed as a youth.
“There is an immense level of immaturity here,” said Mr Torbett. Best had been “left to his own devices” during his early life, with no assistance or guidance “to keep him on the straight and narrow”.
He had been in custody on remand for about three months. “Quite shockingly, this is the most stability that he has had in his life, his first real flavour of custody, ” said Mr Torbett.
“He knows that this is, and has to be, a crossroads sentence. Otherwise, he will serve a life sentence in instalments or significant chunks.
“He knows that he has now got time to get his head down and become employable.” Drugs had played a prominent role in Best’s life but he was keen to receive help for this.
Recorder Brian Whitehead said that it was a “noxious” substance but the victim’s injuries were limited to burns to his skin and nothing more serious. It was very hard to accept that Best did not know what was in the bottle because he had no good reason to have it with him and the other man with him made a comment about the victim melting.
“A corrosive liquid thrown into someone’s face is a highly dangerous weapon,” said Recorder Whitehead.
“Thankfully, the harm caused was fairly minor. It was quite a nasty offence. I hope that you have learned from this and we don’t see you again.”
Best was jailed for three years and four months and he was given a five-year restraining order.