Police arrest main suspect in Vauxhall bleach attack

Police have arrested the male suspect they were searching for in relation to the apparent homophobic attack that took place in Vauxhall, south London last weekend.

Two gay men were sprayed with bleach outside Vauxhall’s Lightbox club in the early hours of Sunday morning (June 8). One of the men has been told he may lose his eyesight following the attack.

Lambeth police confirmed the arrest in a statement earlier this morning (June 12), saying: “31 year old male arrested last night, 11 June 2014, at 2250 in relation to the attacks in Vauxhall. Currently being held at a South London Police Station.”

Lambeth’s Hate Crime Coordinator, Mark Healey, said in a statement:

“I’m really pleased that this man hunt has been concluded so quickly and that we now have the suspect in custody. I’m sure that everyone feels relieved as we head into next weekend. The police especially the investigating team at Brixton Police Station Community Safety Unit have done an excellent job so far. It is good to see how everyone has come together to make sure that a clear message is put out that we won’t tolerate homophobic attacks in Vauxhall.”

Earlier this week, Mark Williams of Orange Nation, owners of the Lightbox club, released a statement to the press regarding the incident – read it in full here.