Attackers use children’s drink bottles to spray acid

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, wore a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and address and enter pleas. The boy, from Croydon, south London, was remanded in custody to appear at Wood Green crown court next month.

Separately, a teenager was charged over an alleged acid attack in Mile End, east London, on July 4. Mustafa Ahmed, 19, will appear at Thames magistrates’ court today.

Cancer patients charged £1,000 for holiday insurance
Cancer patients are being denied holiday insurance or forced to pay £1,000 for a product that costs the general public £37 on average, a charity claims.

Macmillan Cancer Support says that some policies reflect an outdated view of the illness as something that only affects a small number of people or is a “death sentence”. However, by 2020 one in every two people will get the disease at some point in their lives, trends suggests. Cancer patients are also twice as likely to survive at least ten years after diagnosis than they were at the start of the 1970s.

A survey of more than 2,000 cancer patients found that 2 per cent have been denied insurance even though their cancer was diagnosed more than a decade ago. Extrapolating the figures, the charity estimates that 8,500 British holidaymakers are affected. An estimated 7,500 Britons who have had cancer in the past have paid £1,000 or more for travel insurance. On average, people with cancer paid £133 for their policies — nearly four times the average cost of an annual travel policy for the general public.

The charity called on the insurance industry to use more “accurate, relevant and tailored” data in its policies. A spokeswoman for the Association of British Insurers said cover was widely available for people with long-term medical conditions. It advised customers to use specialist providers if necessary.

Doctors find 27 contact lenses in woman’s eye
Doctors carrying out a routine cataract operation on a 67-year-old woman at Solihull Hospital in the West Midlands discovered 27 contact lenses trapped in her right eye.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, they said they had found “a bluish foreign body” which turned out to be a hard lump of 17 monthly disposable contact lenses “bound together by mucus”. Ten more were found as the operation continued.

Rupal Morjaria, a specialist trainee in ophthalmology, said: “None of us have ever seen this before. We were really surprised that the patient didn’t notice it, because it would cause quite a lot of irritation. She thought the discomfort was just part of old age.”

Tributes paid to ex-RAF man
The wife of a trained pilot killed while travelling as a passenger in a light aircraft said he was “precious and outrageously talented”. Paul Gunnell died when the plane came down in a field near Marlborough, Wiltshire, on Thursday evening. Mr Gunnell flew in the RAF and with Cathay Pacific for 23 years. Kirsty Boasman, his wife, said he was “an exceptional man, a natural-born leader and aviator.” The pilot of the plane has not yet been identified. Ms Boasman added: “Our thoughts are with the family who have lost a loved one, who shared Paul’s sheer joy of being in the air.”

An investigation is under way.

Bread on table for return of stolen prize cheddars
A £500 reward is being offered for the return of two award-winning blocks of cheddar cheese that were stolen from a country show.

Made by Wyke Farms in Somerset, the two 20kg blocks were named as champion and reserve champion at the Yeovil show at the weekend but vanished from the tent soon after the judging had finished.

Rich Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms, said he was saddened but unsurprised. “Our vintage cheddar is made to Grandmother Ivy’s recipe and we believe it to be the best-quality cheese available. A 20kg block of it is extremely tempting.”

Abuse payout fight
Children who have been sexually exploited are being refused compensation by a government agency on the ground that they “consented” to their abuse, campaigners say. Charities including Barnardo’s and Victim Support are demanding a review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s guidelines. Payouts can be awarded to victims of a “crime of violence”, which includes a sexual assault to which a person did not “in fact” consent.

Man on drugs charge
A 20-year-old man appeared in court charged with supplying cannabis and MDMA after the death of a teenage girl. Jacob Khanlarian, of Newton Abbot, Devon, did not enter a plea at Plymouth magistrates’ court and was remanded in custody to appear at Exeter crown court on August 10. Leah Kerry, 15, was found unconscious on Saturday and later died in hospital.

Brown gives evidence
Gordon Brown is to give evidence in person on Thursday before the public inquiry into child abuse. He will explain why he made a public apology in 2010 to children who were sent to Australia, many of whom suffered abuse. Sir John Major, who decided in 1993 that it was an issue for the Australian government, will give evidence in writing. Participants have called for him to appear in person.

Police swoop on boy, 8
Police in Bournemouth scrambled their helicopter and sent a van full of armed officers after “a sighting of two males possibly in possession of firearms” only to find an eight-year-old boy playing cops and robbers. “When the police all turned up with their guns I thought it was really cool,” said Kasim Ashraf, who wants to be a policeman when he grows up.