On 21 June 2017 two occupants of a car were attacked with acid in Beckton in the London Borough of Newham. The perpetrator was John Tomlin and the victims were later named as Jameel Muhktar and his cousin and aspiring model Resham Khan. Their injuries were described as "life-changing". Police investigated the incident as a hate crime, and the victims believe the incident represented rising Islamophobia in the United Kingdom. However, the judge said there was no evidence of a racial motivation. Tomlin was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on 18 April 2018. Background The Beckton attack was part of a series of acid attacks targeting British Asians in London. However, not all acid attacks were similarly classified as hate crimes. The London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets are among the areas of London where acid attacks are most common. Attack At 9:13 a.m. BST on Wednesday, 21 June 2017, Jameel Muhktar and Resham Khan were sitting in a stationary car stopped at traffic lights on Tollgate Road, Beckton. A white male approached and threw a corrosive liquid onto them. Both suffered severe burns with their injuries described by the Metropolitan Police as "life-changing". Khan needed skin grafts to her face and body whilst Muhktar suffered wounds to his stomach, face, neck, ears, arms and back requiring extensive surgery. Muhktar described his clothes and shoes melting following the attack. Investigation While investigators originally ruled out a religious or racial motive for the crime, the Metropolitan Police declared that new evidence which had been uncovered on 30 June led them to ultimately investigate the assault as a hate crime. The judge said that there was no evidence that it was a hate crime. Suspect The Metropolitan Police later stated it was seeking to speak to John Tomlin, a 24-year-old man known to frequent Canning Town in relation to the incident. His Facebook page contained links to the far-right. Tomlin turned himself in to the Metropolitan Police on 9 July 2017. He was charged with causing grievous bodily harm and appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on 11 July. He was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 August. At his hearing on 11 John Tomlin blew kisses at his supporters while in court. Reaction The Wharf, a local newspaper, reported that residents were concerned about the increasing number of attacks involving noxious substances in East