A defendant is in a critical condition after ‘pouring acid on himself’ in the dock at Inner London Crown Court.
An “urgent investigation” has been launched into how the defendant was able to pour the substance over himself on Monday in courtroom ten.
The emergency services rushed to the court, on Newington Causeway, to reports of the man in his fifties who had “doused himself with a noxious substance” shortly after noon.
A female dock officer was also injured by the acid, but her injuries were minor, said the Met.
She was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Now police are investigating how the defendant could have taken the acid into the dock despite heavy security.
A spokesperson for the Courts and Tribunals Service said the service was “deeply concerned” at the incident.
““The safety and security of all court users is our priority and we’re deeply concerned about the incident at Inner London Sessions House,” the spokesperson said.
“Police are urgently investigating what happened and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”