Acid attack victim talks about the attack, and life afterwards

A dad scarred for life in a horrifying case of mistaken identity has spoken of the moment his attacker said: "This is for you, mate" - and threw acid in his face.

Property developer Andreas Christopheros has described how David Phillips, 48, hurled acid over him because he thought he had sexually assaulted a member of his family.

Phillips travelled more than 300 miles from his home in Hastings, East Sussex to Truro, Cornwall - but turned up on the wrong doorstep. He threw the corrosive liquid as Andreas answered the door, leaving the property developer permanently blind and with horrendous burns.

His wife Pia, 33, also burnt her feet as she rushed to her husband's aid after the attack in December last year, while their toddler son lay crying upstairs.

The couple watched as Phillips was jailed for life at Truro Crown Court on Friday.

Now, after ten months of skin grafts and eye surgery, Andreas has told of the moment he opened the door to a man he thought was delivering a Christmas parcel. He has also called for stricter regulations on the sale of the acid - which can easily be bought in shops - and said that he will never accept the apology of the man responsible.

In graphic detail, Andreas has described how he was "screaming", his face was "melting" and his eyes were "on fire" as he tried to wash the toxic car battery acid off.

The dad-of-one now has to wear a transparent, silicone 'compression' mask to protect his skin.

The beaker, filled to the brim with corrosive acid, hurtled towards the ceiling and sent a spray of acid across Andreas's face and neck, showering down onto his torso.

An ambulance arrived after 20 minutes and Andreas was rushed to his local hospital before being flown to Swansea hospital, one of the UK's major burns units.

He was placed in an induced coma and kept in intensive care. Doctors told Pia he was unlikely to survive the night.

Miraculously, Andreas came around in intensive care. He was unaware at the time but he was on death watch as there was a very high risk of infection.

Blinded in his right eye and with little hope of saving the vision remaining in his left, he was devastated that he might never be able to see his son Theo, now two, ever again.

Moments after waking up, Andreas signalled for a pen and paper and wrote: 'Who would do this to me?'

But within minutes he had the whole room laughing, asking: 'Can I have a pint of cider?'

From the moment Andreas woke he was questioned by the police and believes he was under suspicion.

Speaking yesterday after Phillips was handed a life sentence with a minimum of seven years, Andreas said he would never accept his attacker's apology.

Now, ten months on from the day he was attacked on his doorstep in a picturesque Cornish hamlet, Andreas is calling for car battery acid to be a licensed substance.

Andreas' injuries originally left him unable to look at himself, and he had mirrors boarded up.

Andreas said the support he received from Devon and Cornwall Police, the NHS and the Katie Piper Foundation, for burn survivors, has been incredible.

He is fundraising for the foundation, and hopes to help them continue their work rehabilitating fellow victims of acid attacks.

To donate, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/cornishsurvivor-katiepiper