Joanne Rand (1969/70 – 14 June 2017) was a 47-year-old mother-of-three from Marlow in the English county of Buckinghamshire, who died several days after becoming the victim of an acid attack on 3 June 2017. Rand was sitting on a bench when she was sprayed with high strength sulphuric acid during a fight between Xeneral Webster, a teenager from East Acton, and another man in High Wycombe. After being treated in hospital for burns, she developed septicaemia, and died from multiple organ failure eleven days later. Webster was subsequently arrested and charged with Rand's murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter at his trial in April 2018. In July 2018 he was sentenced to 17 years in prison with an extended licence period of three years after his release. The case is the first instance of a criminal conviction for an acid killing in the United Kingdom.
Background Joanne Rand, known as Jo, was born in County Durham, and was the youngest of five siblings. She grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and was living in Marlow at the time of her death. She was a mother-of-three, and worked at the Sir Aubrey Ward care home in Marlow, where she cared for dementia patients. She was described by her family as "hard-working and passionate about her job", "very bubbly and fun" and "outgoing". In 2011, her oldest daughter, Charlotte Pitwell, died following a car crash. Charlotte was 19 at the time. Xeneral Webster was from East Acton in west London. Following his conviction for Joanne Rand's manslaughter, it was reported that he was a member of the 12World gang, a street gang based in Shepherd's Bush involved in the UK drill scene, and that he was known to associates as "The General". He also used the name Imiuru. In February 2020, The Times reported that he had attempted to launch a jihadist-style attack on prison officers at HMP Winchester after being radicalised by other inmates, but that the attack had been thwarted.
Attack On the afternoon of 3 June 2017, Rand visited Charlotte's grave, then sat on a bench in the town's Frogmoor area. Between 4.30pm and 4.45pm, and as she was smoking a cigarette, a fight broke out nearby, between Xeneral Webster and another man, Saqib Hussain, with whom Webster had been involved in a long-running dispute. Webster, of East Acton, had travelled to High Wycombe from London to meet Hussain, and tried to steal a bicycle from him. Webster produced an open bottle, held it towards the other man's face and said to him "This is acid". Hussain then kicked the bottle from Webster's hand, sending a spray of industrial strength sulphuric acid over Rand, covering her from head to toe. After realising she had been doused with the substance, and beginning to experience pain, she screamed and ran to a local fast food outlet, where she rinsed her face with water. Webster placed a balaclava over his face, retrieved the empty bottle and cycled away, before catching a train back to London. Rand was treated for acid burns at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and discharged. Her family have described how she became afraid to go out in the days following the incident, and did not like people seeing her injuries. She went on to develop septicaemia as a result of her burns, and after being readmitted to hospital, died from multiple organ failure on 14 June, eleven days after the attack.
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