Derryck John, 17, from Croydon in south London has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years for carrying out a spate of acid attacks against moped riders in a bid to steal their vehicles. This sentence is the first-of-its-kind following a series of criminal attacks committed with acid, which led to distortions on the victims’ bodies and faces, the Huffington Post reported. During sentencing, Judge Lucas told John: “The events of 13 July 2017 are despicable and coward. You and your accomplice chose to attack members of the public who were going about their lawful business. These were grave crimes. You attacked members of the public with what appears to have been an acid at the strongest end of the scale of acids. You did not disclose the name of your partner, or the exact operation of the fluid causing the corrosion of the victims body, or the place you got it from.” Five separate male victims - all on mopeds - were targeted in less than 90 minutes in July last year. John, who appeared at Wood Green Crown Court via video link, carried out “grave crimes”, according to Judge Noel Lucas. In his sentencing remarks, the judge said John’s actions were “despicable”. Food delivery rider Jabed Hussain, 32, who works for a food distribution company, was on his way home when he had his moped stolen and his face sprayed with liquid at around 10.25pm at traffic lights on Hackney Road. Hussain said: “I’m too scared to go back to work. I don’t know what to do. My wife, she’s scared. My family’s scared. They were asking me to leave that job, but I love that job.” Little more than 20 minutes after the first attack, at 10.49 pm, a 44-year-old moped driver was sprayed with a liquid at the Upper Street junction with Highbury Corner in Islington. Then at around 11.05 pm, police were called after attackers targeted a man in Shoreditch High Street, tossing a substance in his face. His injuries were not life-threatening and his moped was not stolen, police said.