Father of boy, 3, among five men to appear in court charged over 'acid attack'

The father of a three-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm after a suspected acid attack on his son.

The 39-year-old - who cannot be named for legal reasons - appeared alongside Adam Cech, 27, and Jan Dudi, 25, of Birmingham, and Norbert Pulko, 22, of London, together with Jabar Paktia, 41, from Wolverhampton.

The five were all charged overnight by West Mercia Police and appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The charges come after police arrested a fifth man in connection with the investigation on Tuesday.

The boy suffered burns to his face and arms after a substance - described as a "pungent pink chemical" - was thrown or sprayed on him in a home discount store in Worcester while he sat in a buggy pushed by his mother.