The family of a nurse who died after an acid attack have hit out at her killer's lack of remorse as he was jailed for 17 years in the first case of its kind. Xeneral Webster was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting the manslaughter of Joanna Rand in what prosecutors say is the first acid killing in the UK. The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to causing the death of Ms Rand part way through his trial in April. He had armed himself with a corrosive substance, which was knocked from his hand by another male. Ms Rand was hit with the high-strength sulphuric acid on June 3 last year as she sat on a bench in Frogmoor, High Wycombe. Sentencing Webster, from Westway, west London, Judge Angela Morris said: "You and your actions bear the responsibility for her [Ms Rand's] tragic demise."<doc-sep>A teenager has been jailed for 17 years after what is believed to be the first conviction for an acid attack killing in the UK. Xeneral Webster, 19, admitted the manslaughter of Joanne Rand, who was hit in the face and body with industrial-strength sulphuric acid when she was innocently caught up in a tussle between the killer and another man. Rand, 47, a carer for people with dementia, was sitting on a bench in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after visiting her daughter’s grave, when Webster threatened the other man with acid. The man knocked the open bottle from Webster’s grasp and kicked it, sending a spray of acid over Rand, the trial heard. She screamed in pain and dashed into a fast-food restaurant to splash water over her face. Rand was taken to Stoke Mandeville hospital for treatment of burns to her face, arms, upper body and lower legs. She died 11 days later of multiple organ failure after contracting septicaemia due to the burns. CCTV footage showed Webster calmly putting a balaclava over his face after the incident, retrieving the empty acid bottle and cycling away. He discarded it and took a train back to his home in west London. Webster, who had sustained burns to his face in an acid attack in which he was the victim two months earlier, was charged with murder, but partway through his trial at Reading crown court, he admitted an alternative charge of manslaughter, which was accepted by the prosecution. He was also convicted of offences including possessing ammonia and a samurai sword. The court was told that at 4.50pm on 3 June last year, Rand was sitting in the sun in the Frogmoor area of High Wycombe, which was busy with shoppers. Webster was trying to wrest a bicycle from another man. Webster reached into his satchel for an open bottle, told the man it contained acid, and made to throw it at him. Panicking, the man knocked the acid away. The spray reached Webster, whose face immediately began to burn. Joanne Rand died of multiple organ failure 11 days after the incident. Photograph: PA Adrian Foster from of the Crown Prosecution Service said Rand was not the intended victim. “The prosecution was brought on the basis that by producing an open bottle of acid and raising it to the face of another man, Xeneral Webster intended to cause that individual really serious harm,” he said. “The man fighting with Webster acted reasonably, in the circumstances, by deflecting the bottle away. Webster was responsible for the death of Joanne and had he not planned to hurt the intended victim, Joanne would still be alive today.” The court was told that Webster claimed the altercation happened because he had been sold the drug spice rather than cannabis. Rand worked at Sir Aubrey Ward care home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and was described as “hardworking and passionate about her job” in a tribute from her family. Her daughter Charlotte had died in 2011. Her surviving children, Katie and Ryan, and her partner, Eddie, were described as heartbroken about her death. In court, Rand’s daughter, Katie Pitwell, 18, said: “I didn’t just lose a mum, I lost a best friend. I don’t understand how someone can do something so heartless and evil.” Addressing Webster directly, she said: “You are the one who took her away, we had so many plans for the future.” Outside court, she called for tougher sentences for acid attackers. “I think the buying of acid needs to be restricted, but also, if someone is carrying it, there should be tougher sentences,” Pitwell said. One of Rand’s sisters, Jacqueline Joiner, said her sister suffered terribly. “She became angry, frightened and distressed. The acid had eaten away her skin down to her muscle,” she said. “The day before Jo died, I will never forget the look in her eyes when she asked me: ‘Am I going to die?’ All her organs were failing. We watched the life drain out of Jo.” Joiner said Rand’s children stood by and watched as she died. “They were so brave,” she said. “We feel cheated and robbed.” She said the tragedy brought back memories of Charlotte’s death in a car accident. “That made it worse because it’s happened twice to our family now,” Joiner said. After the sentencing, another of Rand’s siblings, Lynn Ryan, called for children to be taught in school about the dangers of acid. “There should be more education to teach younger people the consequences of carrying an acid or a liquid that is corrosive,” she said. Webster apologised to Rand’s family in court. His defence counsel, Brendan Kelly, said Webster had a troubled background and had been abused. The judge, Angela Morris, said there was “more than a mere hint of gang association or culture” in the crime. “You and your actions bear the responsibility for her [Rand’s] tragic demise,” she said. After the sentence was passed, Webster shouted abuse at the judge from the dock and said: “All of you will probably be dead by the time I am out of here, fuck you bro.” The senior investigating officer, DCI Nick Glister of Thames Valley police, said: “Webster showed a total disregard for the innocent members of the public who were present that day, and his actions took a much-loved mum, sister and partner away from her many family and friends. “Acid attacks are horrific. Their consequences devastate lives. I hope this case is a pertinent reminder to anyone considering carrying this dangerous substance that doing so can have very serious consequences.” After a spate of acid attacks, including the one on Mark van Dongen by Berlinah Wallace in Bristol that led to him going to a euthanasia clinic, the government has been under pressure to tighten the law. Since the Van Dongen case, in which Wallace was cleared of murder, the government has introduced a statutory instrument that makes sulphuric acid above a concentration level of 15% a regulated substance under the 1972 Poisons Act. Members of the public now need a licence to import, acquire, possess or use sulphuric acid above a concentration of 15%.<doc-sep>A teenager has been jailed for 17 years after being convicted of manslaughter in the UK’s first acid attack killing. Xeneral Webster, 19, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Joanne Rand part way through his trial in April at Reading Crown Court. Ms Rand’s face and body was covered in industrial strength sulphuric acid after she was caught up in a fight over drugs between Webster and another man on 3 June last year. The 47-year-old nurse was sitting on a bench in High Wycombe after visiting her daughter’s grave when Webster approached and threatened the other man with acid. The man knocked the bottle out of Webster’s hand and it then rolled and hit Ms Rand, whose face instantly “begun to burn.” The court heard she screamed in pain and ran to a nearby branch of KFC to splash water over herself. Although she was treated for her injuries after suffering up to 5 per cent burns and released from Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the mother of three died 11 days after the attack from multiple organ failure after she developed sepsis. Xeneral Webster, 19, admitted manslaughter after a nurse died after being covered in acid (Thames Valley Police) Sentencing Webster, Judge Angela Morris said: “You and your actions bear the responsibility for her [Ms Rand’s] tragic demise.” Referring to his carrying of a corrosive substance on April 19 2017, she added: “The fact remains, you had this substance with you in a public place and you cannot have failed to realise the significant harm its contents would have caused to others had it been released. “Because it is a liquid it is all the more likely to be indiscriminate in its spread.” Judge Morris said she had concluded Webster posed a risk to the public and as well as 17 years in custody gave him an extended licence period of three years. Talking about Ms Rand she continued: “The cost of your actions were incalculable and irreparable for her family and friends and there is no sentence which this court can pass which can replace the value of her life.” Joanne Rand, 47, had been visiting her daughter’s grave when she was covered in acid during a drugs fight (Thames Valley Police) Webster was also sentenced for two counts of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a samurai sword and ammonia, and criminal damage, and making threats to kill relating to a separate incident to which he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. He had previously been attacked with acid himself, and had permanent scarring from where the liquid burned him. Prosecutor Lesley Bates said: “There is much public concern about carrying knives and more recently about the escalation of the use of acid on the streets by young people.” Ms Rand worked at the Sir Aubrey Ward care home in Marlow and was described as “hard-working and passionate about her job” in a tribute issued by her family in October. Her family have since called for tough sentences for people carrying acid. Ms Rand’s daughter Katie Pitwell, 18, said: “I think the buying of acid needs to be restricted but also if someone is carrying it there should be tougher sentences because most of the time they do intend to use it for harm.” She added: “He went out with the intention of hurting someone and it’s an innocent person that got hurt in this situation. People need to know that if they’re carrying that type of stuff, it’s going to hurt someone or kill someone.” Webster sat with his arms crossed and looked around the dock as Ms Rand’s sisters read a victim impact statement. “All we have now is tears and upset. We have lost so much,” she continued. “There is a massive hole in our lives. It was a year in June since Jo died but it only feels like yesterday. “None of us really know how to cope with this great sadness and pain we feel, it is so intense and it never really leaves us.” UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth REUTERS UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, £5m project to conserve York Minster’s South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual month’s rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. 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The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan.<doc-sep>
THE vile thug behind Britain's first acid attack death yelled "f*** you bro" at a judge today as he was jailed for killing a mum-of-three nurse. Joanne Rand, 47, died after Xeneral Webster, 19, covered her in corrosive liquid after she visited her daughter's grave. 10 CCTV shows the moment a bottle of acid was kicked during a fight between Xeneral Webster and another man Webster had armed himself with the bottle of high-strength sulphuric acid which was kicked onto Joanne during a fight with another man. The nurse who was sat on a bench screamed in agony as she was covered head-to-toe in the super-strength substance. She ran to a nearby branch of KFC to splash water over herself after the attack in High Wycombe, Bucks. Joanne died 11 days later from multiple organ failure after contracting septicaemia due to the burns. 10 The bottle of acid landed on mum-of-three Joanne Rand as she innocently sat on a bench in High Wycombe, Bucks 10 Webster could be seen fleeing the scene Today Webster was jailed for 17 years at Reading Crown Court after being convicted of her manslaughter in a landmark ruling. Judge Angela Morris said: "You and your actions bear the responsibility for her (Ms Rand's) tragic demise." After the sentence was read he shouted abuse at the judge from the dock and said "all of you will probably dead by the time I am out of here, f*** you bro". Today her heartbroken family spoke of their devastation as they came face to-face with her killer in court. Sister Jacqueline Joiner said: "Xeneral Webster, you killed Jo, you took her away from us, you did this to our family." She added: "Whatever sentence you get will never be enough to give us justice for the loss of Jo. "We would hate for this to happen to another family. "There has to be some deterrent for these evil acid attacks as people not only can be traumatised and disfigured for life, they can also die. 10 Joanne suffered horrific injuries and died 11 days later from multiple organ failure after contracting septicaemia due to the burns Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Joanne's daughter Katie Pitwell today came face-to-face with her mum's killer in court Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Joanne's daughter Katie Pitwell, centre, with Joanne's sisters Lynn Ryan, left, and Jacqueline Joiner, right Credit: PA:Press Association Joanne Rand's family pay tribute to her as daughter urges for more awareness over acid attacks after Xeneral Webster sentencing "Do you feel any remorse for what you did?" Unable to face the family of his victim, Webster looked away from the sisters as they read their emotionally-charged statements. Ms Rand's daughter Katie Pitwell told Webster: "You not only destroyed her life, but all of ours too. She added: "There has to be consequences. "I just hope you face up to what you have done and feel some kind of remorse." Webster had been accused at Reading Crown Court of the murder of Ms Rand but mid-trial he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. 10 Xeneral Webster, 19, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter midtrial Credit: PA:Press Association 10 CCTV shows the thug fleeing the scene carrying a bottle of acid Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Webster suffered facial injuries in a separate acid attack Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Joanne's daughter Charlotte Pitwell, who died in a tragic road accident in 2011 Credit: INS News Webster, of Westway, west London, also pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, namely acid, and affray, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. He was also sentenced for two counts of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a samurai sword and ammonia, and criminal damage relating to a separate incident to which he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Ms Rand worked at the Sir Aubrey Ward care home in Marlow and was described as "hard-working and passionate about her job" in a tribute issued by her family in October.