A father-of-two who was doused with acid on the doorstep of his own home has recounted the horrific moment he was doused with acid on the doorstep of his own home.
Andreas Christopheros suffered horrendous injuries when a man seeking revenge carried out an acid attack at the wrong address nearly five years ago, CornwallLive reported
He was left blind in one eye and sustained severe scars to his face, torso and arms and had his eyelids reconstructed.
In an interview with the The Sunday Times, he revealed how it affected him and his young family, and what he thinks of his attacker, David Phillips.
He told the newspaper: “From my office I saw a red Peugeot van driving down the road. I noticed it because it was the same make, model and colour as my own.
"There was a knock at the door, and I presumed it was a courier delivering some online shopping. But when I opened the door I instantly received a large beaker of liquid to my face."
“My T-shirt disintegrated from top to bottom. It just rolled away, hanging like a waistcoat. That was the moment I knew it was acid. The man who threw it said just five words: 'This is for you, mate'.
“It is very hard to put into words the pain of sulphuric acid burns to your face and torso. It was as if someone had thrown petrol over me and set it alight. My wife says my screams will haunt her until the day she dies.”
Andreas, who lives in Truro, Cornwall, with wife Pia and sons Theo, 6, and Lazarus, 1, was able to tell police and paramedics what had happened before blacking out.
Police initially thought that he had done something to warrant the attack and seized the family house, their cars, phones, computers and sat navs as part of the investigation.
Phillips refused to comment about the attack while being interviewed by police.
Andreas told The Sunday Times he lost faith in the police ever solving the crime - but that all change after a phone call from detectives.
“Then one day I received a phone call from the major crimes unit saying they needed to meet me in person. They turned up at my house and said: ‘We know why, and we have the evidence to prove it.’ My emotions didn’t know how to digest what they had just said. I remember just sitting at the table and screaming.
“They had the evidence to prove it was mistaken identity. They had the evidence to prove Phillips did it. They had enough to get a conviction, and that was all that mattered. It was a good day.”
It was proven in court that Phillips had carried out the attack in revenge for the sexual assault of a relative and had simply chosen the wrong doorstep.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life, with a minimum of eight years in jail. An appeal was granted at the High Court and Phillips’ sentence was shortened to 16 years.
Andreas said: “David Phillips could be out in less than four years. I will most certainly still be having surgery.
“My family wishes I was angrier and more vengeful about what happened. The most satisfying thing is to come through what I have experienced and not feel full of rage, resentment or revenge.
“I could sit and talk to my attacker if I had to. I don’t want to, but I could. That is my greatest achievement.”
Andreas is now an ambassador for Face Forward, a charity that helps victims of violent crime, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
He says that every aspect of his life has been affected by the attack.
“I have severe scars on my face, torso and arms. I am on my third set of eyelids. I am blind in my left eye. I don’t sleep anywhere near as much as I used to.
“There is more than one victim in this crime.
“My wife carries the emotional burden more than I do. She gets anxious when someone knocks at the front door. My eldest son, Theo, was 18 months old at the time of the attack. The biggest monster I had to overcome was how he would perceive me when he saw me. Would he recognise me? Would he be scared of me?”
Initially his son couldn’t look at him. However, when Andreas started talking, Theo hugged him for almost an hour.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” said his dad.
