A burglar who sprayed a pensioner with high-strength acid in her own home during a string of “horrifying” robberies has been jailed.

Gerard Whelan, 45, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars at Wood Green Crown Court this morning (Monday, September 25) after admitting grievous bodily harm and aggravated burglary charges.

The court heard how Whelan, of Penfold Place, Paddington, carried out a number of robberies in the Goodmayes area during a two-day spree in December last year.

On December 12, he broke into a home in Lynford Gardens, the first of a series of offences on the same day.

He threatened his 89-year-old victim with a screwdriver, sprayed a substance he said was acid on the wall, and demanded money. His victim handed over £190.

Later he assaulted a 62-year-old man, who was able to escape an attempted robbery uninjured despite the fact Whelan pouring liquid on him during the confrontation.

Whelan also tried to rob a 39-year-old woman of a car as she was dropping her daughter off at school, attempting to spray her with liquid but missing.

He later squirted a driver, aged 40, in the face with the liquid, in an unsuccessful attempt to steal his vehicle.

The robber then threw a substance in the face of a 38-year-old woman while trying and steal her handbag, temporarily blinding her left eye.

The following day, Whelan broke into a 69-year-old woman’s home in Westwood Road, as she slept.

As she woke up, he was holding a screwdriver over her as she lay in her bed saying: "If you don’t be quiet I will kill you."

He took a bangle and rings from her hand and arm and made her sit downstairs while he searched kitchen cupboards.

Whelan squirted an acid later found to be of a similar strength to sulphuric acid over his victim during the burglary.

She suffered burns to a quarter of her body and had to undergo skin grafts and surgeries and will be left with permanent scars to her arms, legs, body and face.

Whelan was later linked to the crimes through forensic evidence after going on a similar rampage in Bounds Green on Christmas Day 2016, attacking several people with a screwdriver.

Senior Investigating Officer, DS Brett Hagen, said: "Whelan embarked on a series of horrifying offences against a raft of innocent and vulnerable members of the public, many of whom were lucky not to incur serious injury.

“Unfortunately several of the victims did sustain life changing injuries as a result of being sprayed with a noxious substance.

“One of these elderly ladies spent over eight weeks in hospital and now, some nine months later, still hasn’t returned to work or regained full mobility of both arms.”