Devon and Cornwall Police Record 91 Acid Attacks in Three Years

Devon and Cornwall is now the fifth worst region in the country for acid and corrosive substance attacks, according to new national figures released this week.

What the data shows

Police forces across the UK logged more than 2,600 acid attacks between 2023 and 2025, with Devon and Cornwall Police recording 91 of them. In 2025 alone the force dealt with 39 incidents, placing the region behind only the Metropolitan Police, Essex, Northamptonshire and Lancashire for the year.

The figures, obtained through Freedom of Information requests by Legal Expert, show London at the top of the table with 904 attacks over the three-year period and 536 in 2025. Essex came second with 428 attacks across three years.

Across the country, more than 800 suspects in acid attack cases have not been identified, leaving close to a third of all reported attacks unsolved.

The Plymouth murder trial

The figures land while Winchester Crown Court hears the case of Danny Cahalane, a 38-year-old father of two who was attacked in his Plymouth home in February 2025.

Cahalane was doused in industrial sulphuric acid and died ten weeks later from his injuries. The trial has heard he owed a £120,000 debt to a drug boss known as ‘Frost’. Ten defendants are on trial in connection with his death, including his ex-wife Paris Wilson, who is charged with murder.

The court was told that four days before the attack, Wilson sent Cahalane a text reading: “I hope you… end up with acid in your faces”.

Forces with the worst detection rates

Three forces, Gloucestershire, City of London and Staffordshire, failed to identify a suspect in any of their recorded attacks across the three years, though they handled only six cases between them.

Among forces dealing with higher volumes, Essex stands out. More than half of its 428 investigations, 233 cases in total, were closed without a suspect being identified. Wiltshire Police closed 72% of cases without identifying anyone, North Wales 66%, and Sussex 57%.

Some forces had near-perfect identification records. Dyfed-Powys, Merseyside, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire all linked a suspect to every case they handled.

Devon and Cornwall Police were not named in either the best or worst-performing lists in the released data.

Where attacks are rarest

The forces with the fewest recorded attacks over three years were Staffordshire and Lincolnshire with one each, followed by City of London with two. Gloucestershire and North Wales recorded three apiece.

Support for victims

Ellie Lamey, a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority specialist at Legal Expert, said the figures pointed to a lack of accountability for a crime that leaves victims with lifelong injuries.

“When perpetrators of such horrific attacks go unidentified, victims are robbed of the justice and closure they so rightfully deserve,” she said. “It is absolutely vital that survivors understand they are not alone and that they can still seek specialist support and financial compensation to help rebuild their lives, even if their attacker has completely evaded the courts.”

Anyone affected can contact Legal Expert through its website for a free consultation or 24-hour helpline.