Katie Piper recalls horrific acid attack which left her blind in one eye as she meets with government officials amid campaign to stop corrosive assaults
Katie Piper met with the government's Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines on Monday to discuss the awful nature of acid attacks and how people can be protected.
Television star Katie, 40, suffered major injuries and blindness in one eye after she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch and accomplice Stefan Sylvestre in 2008.
Mother-of-two Katie, who had been dating Daniel for just two weeks, was brutally raped by the steroid-fuelled martial arts expert in a hotel room when she tried to leave their relationship in March that year.
He then obsessively stalked her before ordering then 19-year-old Stefan to throw sulphuric acid on her face, leaving her with severe burns and in need of 400 operations.
Philanthropist Katie has tirelessly campaigned to keep the topic of such attacks in the forefront of the minds of the public and officials since her horrific experience, this week meeting with members of the government, police, charities and retailers to discuss what action can be taken to prevent corrosive attacks.
Hope: Katie Piper, 40, met with the government's Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines on Monday to discuss the awful nature of acid attacks and how people can be protected
Awful: Television star Katie suffered major injuries and blindness in one eye after she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch and accomplice Stefan Sylvestre in 2008 (Stefan pictured)
She said: 'Today was about progress, prevention and proactive conversation.
'Over the past couple of years I have worked tirelessly to keep this topic on the Government agenda.
'This is a very serious issue and statistics show violent crime using acid is increasing at an alarming and disturbing rate.
'Reducing accessibility and the sale of corrosive substances is absolutely crucial to reducing acid attacks, and the resulting horrendous impact it has on victims.
'Retailers, associations and delivery gateways all have a colossal duty and responsibility to help us in our aims.
'I remain absolutely determined in my mission for change – today for accessibility, but tomorrow also for sentencing, legislation, funding and increased regulation.'
Minister for Safeguarding, Sarah Dines said: 'Acid attacks devastate lives and leave victims with both emotional and physical scars and our thoughts remain with all the survivors and their families.
'The Government is committed to doing all we can to prevent acid and other corrosive substances being used as weapons, and to ensure strong punishments for those who do so.
Horrific: Katie, who had been dating Daniel for just two weeks, was brutally raped by the steroid-fuelled martial arts expert in a hotel room when she tried to leave their relationship (Daniel pictured)
Important work: Katie met with the government's Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines and acid attack survivor Andreas Christopheros at the event
'We have already introduced the measures within the Offensive Weapons Act which makes it an offence to carry these substances in public, to ensure the cowards who use acids as weapons face the full force of the law, and also ban the sale of acid and other corrosives to under-18s and the delivery of such substances to residential premises and lockers to restrict the availability and prevent their misuse.
'We know that legislation alone will not prevent attacks, which is why conversations such as today’s are so important.'
Katie's ex Daniel was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years for the violence inflicted on Katie when she was just 24 years old.
Last month, it emerged Daniel could be released from prison after completing his minimum term of 16 years.
Daniel received a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years after being convicted of rape, GBH and ABH at Wood Green Crown Court in 2009.
His co-conspirator, Stefan, who threw the acid at Katie, admitted GBH and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of six years.
He was released in 2018 but was recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions. Police have since said they believe he has fled the country.
Passing sentence against the pair, Judge Nicholas Browne QC said: '(The victim) had a face of pure beauty. You, Danny Lynch and Stefan Sylvestre, represent the face of pure evil. The facts of this case are chilling and shocking.
'You planned and then executed an act of pure, calculated and deliberate evil.
Traumatic: Katie Piper (pictured left in 2009 and right in 2022) was left with horrific injuries after Stefan Sylvestre, then 19, threw acid at her in 2008
'You decided to wreck the victim's life by thrusting a full container of sulphuric acid straight into her face from point- blank range.'
Katie was attacked in Golders Green, north London, in 2008.
She had dated Daniel briefly before the steroid-fuelled martial arts fan, who had a previous conviction for pouring boiling water over a man, became obsessively jealous.
Model and TV presenter Katie had to wear a mask after the attack and needed 400 operations to treat her severe burns in a long and painstaking process which included pioneering surgery which completely removed the damaged skin from her face and replaced it with a substitute.
