On May 24, 2020, Joseph Lyon and David Adupa, both 24, pulled up outside the property in Ely.

They smashed their car window and began threatening the woman outside the property. Adupa stormed out, threatening to return later and burn down her house.

The couple claimed this was in response to an issue they were having with another person who lived at the address.

A neighbour came out to try to calm things down, but Lyon also got out of the car and squirted ammonia-laced liquid from a Lucozade bottle at the man. He was unharmed, but the incident left a white stain on his t-shirt.

The victims called the police and provided the car registration after Adupa and Lyon drove away. Officers eventually located the vehicle and arrested Lyon.

Adupa turned himself in two days later at Parkside Police Station.

Lyon, of Eversden Road, Harlton, Cambridge, pleaded guilty to threatening property damage, throwing corrosive liquid, and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. On Tuesday (24 January), he was sentenced to three years in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts for these and other charges, including blackmail and ABH, after kicking, punching, and threatening a work colleague in another incident.

Adupa, of no known address, also pleaded guilty to threatening to damage property but failed to appear in court, prompting the issuance of a bench warrant for his arrest.

“This was a horrific case where a woman was threatened and a man was covered in a noxious substance simply for trying to keep the peace,” said Detective Constable Richard Rose, who investigated.

“Nobody should be made to feel afraid or intimidated while going about their daily activities.

“I hope Lyon now reflects on his actions and that the victims can find some solace as a result.”