Police hunt tattooed suspect after acid attack in east London

Police have released an image of a man wanted in connection with an acid attack on a man and woman in east London.

The pair - who have been left with "life-changing" injuries - were sat in a car on Tollgate Road in Beckton when a man threw acid at them through an open window.

Resham Khan, who was celebrating her 21st birthday, and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, tried to drive away, but the suspect ran after them and the car crashed into a fence.

The victims were helped by members of the public after the attack, and were driven to a nearby hospital.

Business management student Miss Khan, who had recently returned from an exchange year in Cyprus, said on her Twitter page: "The pain was excruciating I was struggling to close the window. My cousin struggled to get us away. I saw my clothes burn away in front of me."

Police have released a photo of 24-year-old John Tomlin, who they want to speak to in connection with the attack.

He is described as a white man with facial tattoos, around 6ft tall of stocky build with short fair hair, and is known to frequent the Canning Town area.

Miss Khan and Mr Mukhtar suffered severe burns to their face and body in the attack.

A fundraising page has been set up by a friend of Miss Khan to contribute towards her rehabilitation and has almost reached its target of £30,000.

Detective Superintendent Neil Matthews said: "I would like to reassure the public that our continued focus remains on finding the person responsible for this horrendous act of violence.

"We will continue to progress these enquiries as quickly as humanly possible and fully understand concerns that they should be brought to justice quickly."

Members of the public have been warned not to approach the suspect, but to dial 999 immediately.

Anyone with information about the incident, which took place at around 9.15am on 21 June, is urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.