Clapham chemical attacker took his own life within hours of incident – coroner

Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi took his own life and drowned within hours of attacking a woman and two young girls, a coroner has ruled.

Police had begun hunting for the 35-year-old pizza delivery worker after the incident in Clapham, south London, at 7.30pm on January 31. His body was found in the River Thames on February 19.

Senior Coroner Mary Hassell ruled that Ezedi, whose body was found beneath Chelsea Bridge, died from suicide and drowned.

She told the inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court in east London: “The circumstances surrounding his death are clear in part.

“The evidence of the Metropolitan Police Service is that he is likely to have entered the River Thames at Chelsea Bridge at approximately 11.30pm. It seems likely to me that he drowned almost immediately and, although he was not found until February 19 2024, I will put his death as January 31.”

Ruling out the possibility that Ezedi was pushed or fell into the water by accident, the coroner said: “Given the circumstances, including what happened in the day, I think that it is likely that he jumped into the water, and I think it is likely that he did so with the intention of ending his life.”

A huge manhunt saw detectives track Ezedi’s final movements along the river on CCTV.

It came after his former girlfriend was doused with a corrosive chemical in an attack on her and her daughters, aged eight and three, in Clapham.

Police believe Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, threw a strong alkali substance over the woman, some of which also injured one of the children, and slammed the three-year-old’s head on the ground in the attack on January 31.

He then fled the scene and initially used his bank card to travel on the Tube before walking a route that broadly hugged the banks of the River Thames in the following hours.