Girl, 14, suffers 'life-changing' injuries after horror acid attack in school

A 14-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old woman were reportedly injured during the attack which took place on Monday.

Metropolitan Police officers were flagged down by a member of staff after the incident at the school on Alfred Road, Westbourne Park, at about 4.40pm on Monday. Two police officers were taken to hospital as a precaution following reports that they were feeling unwell.

A message on the school's website said: "Due to unforeseen circumstances the WA school site will be closed on Tuesday, October 1. Students will resume lessons through online learning. Information will be shared with them via Google Classroom through their teachers.

"The Year 6 Open Morning scheduled for October 1 is being rescheduled for Tuesday, October 8. We apologise for any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told GB News: "We were called at 4.39pm on Monday 30 September to reports of an incident in Harrow Road, W2.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and an incident response officer. Our crews treated five patients at the scene, before taking them to a London major trauma centre, three as a priority."

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A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Police on patrol were flagged down at 16:42hrs on Monday, 30 September by staff at a school in Alfred Road W2 after a substance was allegedly thrown at pupils and a staff member.

"Officers responded with paramedics and the London Fire Brigade and found three people injured. Victim one, a 16-year-old boy, whose injuries are not life-threatening or life-changing. He remains in hospital.

"Victim two, A 27-year-old woman, whose condition is not life-threatening or life-changing. She has been discharged from hospital. Victim three - A 14-year-old girl, whose injuries may potentially be life-changing. She remains in hospital.

"Tests of the substance are ongoing. At this stage officers believe it to be acidic. Urgent enquiries are underway to identify and arrest those responsible. A number of crime scenes are in place. Two officers were taken to hospital as a precaution after they reported feeling unwell."

The school is a non-selective academy for pupils aged 11 to 18 and is sponsored by The Exilarch's Foundation, which is headed by entrepreneur David Dangoor CBE, reports The Standard. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has information that could help police, is being asked to call 101 ref CAD 4987/30 Sept.

Principal of Westminster Academy Numera Anwar told GB News "One pupil, a teacher and a member of the public have been injured in an incident outside the school building on the main road involving an acid-like corrosive substance. This was a distressing incident which took place after school hours when students and staff were leaving the school site. We are offering support to families and relatives of all involved.

“This is a difficult time for our community and I took the decision to close the school today to allow for a thorough investigation and to ensure the school can resume normally from tomorrow with all safety measures in place. We are working with the local authority and will have counsellors and other support available onsite. The welfare of the students at Westminster Academy is always our priority and that continues to remain the case."

"This will clearly be an unsettling time for the wider community and parents. While police lead the investigation into this incident I would urge everyone to avoid speculation as this will not be helpful and may compromise the investigation. Our focus remains on our students and staff members and that is what we are concentrating on."