
Acid attacker who blinded dad brags about his crimes in rap videos from prison
A dad who was blinded in one eye by an acid attacker has called it a 'disgrace' that the convict is rapping about his crimes on TikTok.
Paul Laskey, 43, was squirted in the face with what was believed to be battery acid after his 16-year-old son was mugged at knifepoint.
Robbie Scott, 22, was jailed for the attack but has begun posting music videos from behind bars glorifying violence.
The TikTok clips are posted under 'HMP hardest rapper Robdog' and are geographically tagged to 'HMP Manchester (Strangeways)'.
In one soundbite, Scott raps: 'I used to roll on the streets with a kitchen knife, would not think twice about dipping guys.'
In video he can be seen chanting: 'Robdog jailhouse settings, you know how we do, Geordie boys on coke, oh yes.'
Scott violent attack unfolded after he used a zombie knife to steal an £1,000 gold chain from Laskey's son in Newcastle on February 5 2023.
The dad went to apprehend Scott when he was squirted in the face with a corrosive acid, causing his left eye to 'melt' away.
Reacting to the rap videos, Laskey told Metro: 'It's a disgrace he is able to brag about things he does and has no remorse whatsoever.'
The plumber and heating engineer previously recalled how the acid burned his face and destroyed his vision in one eye.
He said: 'I couldn't see and couldn't breathe. It took my breathe away with how strong it was. I felt burning on my face.
'It was horrendous. I was off work for the first six months. It was all that was on my mind. It was just awful.'
Scott was sent to prison for eight years and six months in May last year after admitting GBH with intent, robbery, having a knife and a corrosive substance in public and resisting arrest.
However his sentence was raised to 11 years after it was judged to be unduly lenient.
Asked about what Scott's rap videos said about the criminal, Laskey said: 'It just shows the sort of person he is, and when his sentence is over he will probably do it again.'
Ministry of Justice has reportedly asked TikTok to take down the videos, according to the Sun. More Trending
The Prison Service said: 'Any offender caught using a phone or social media in prison will face punishment, including extra time behind bars.'
Metro previously reported how Laskey's eye was saved by a donated placenta.
Over the course of a year he received two cornea transplants from donated eyes, as well as 'essential' treatment from a donated placenta.
Doctor's used an amnion graft, from the placenta, to help heal surface damage and cover nerve endings.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: These sandals have been dubbed the 'most comfortable' (no breaking-in required)
MORE: 'I'm releasing my debut album – but I'm still a lawyer by day'
MORE: Streamer says The First Descendant devs 'stole' his likeness in AI ads

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Moment gang try to escape police after landing cocaine boats on Cornish beach
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A gangster who claimed he could smuggle a tonne of cocaine with 'zero f***ing risk' was arrested after police chased his gang over the sea for 28 miles. The cocaine cowboys were spotted on the horizon by Border Force loading packages from a bigger boat. The drug syndicate tried to outrun them in a high-speed boat chase while dumping huge packages of Class A drugs worth millions as they sped along the Cornish coast for an hour. With nowhere left to sail and cornered by Border Force the Narco pirates stranded their speedboats on Gwynver Beach, Penzance on September 13, 2024. The dramatic landing was filmed by confused sunbathers and dogwalkers as the group try to split up and disperse with police on their tail. The pirates were quickly detained by Border Force officers who chased them on foot and arrested them. Officers recovered six large bales containing 230kg of high-purity cocaine after crew members desperately threw packages overboard. All seven men initially denied their crimes. Audio messages later revealed Alex Fowlie bragging he could move 'one tonne' and that there was 'zero f*cking risk'. Tabora Baca even claimed to be a tourist who had accepted an invitation from two strangers to go fishing. But officers recovered messages from his phone in which he discussed the group's plans and shared a photo of the cocaine onboard the RHIB. NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Barry Vinall, said: 'These men didn't care about the misery cocaine causes, they just wanted to make a profit. 'Cocaine is one of the most harmful illegal drugs in the UK, linked to thousands of deaths and fuelling violent crime that wrecks communities and lives. 'Working together, Border Force stopped cocaine worth millions from making it onto UK streets and the National Crime Agency ensured that the group behind its importation faced justice.' Duncan Capps, senior director of Border Force Maritime, added: 'It is the job of Border Force to protect our border and keep communities safe. Our officers were fantastic and displayed incredible skill during the 28-mile pursuit, despite the suspects' attempts to get rid of evidence. 'Border Force will continue to work alongside the NCA to prevent dangerous drugs reaching our streets and will ensure criminals caught smuggling face the full force of the law.' Peter Williams and Bobbie Pearce were handed hefty sentences at Truro Crown Court today (Thursday, August 21) — 16 years and nine months and 15 years and four months respectively. It follows the earlier jailing of four of their accomplices for more than 82 years combined. Scott Johnston, 38, of Havant, and Edwin Yahir Tabora Baca, 33, of Barcelona, Spain, were sentenced to 24 years and 17 years seven months respectively. Michael May, 47, of Brentwood, and Terry Willis, 44, of Chelmsford, helped organise the £18.4m haul and received 19 years and 21 years eight months. Williams, 43, of Havant, and Pearce, 29, of Brentwood, faced justice today. The final gang member, Alex Fowlie, 35, of Chichester, will be sentenced on September 5. MORE: Mystery as six people found dead at a dairy MORE: Dad stabs burglar to death after gang beat him with crowbar in front of children MORE: Mum-of-three who shared TikToks of dying husband shot him and two of their children dead


Metro
9 hours ago
- Metro
Menendez brothers parole hearing: Everything you need to know about the case
Two brothers at the centre of one of the most famous murder cases in the 20th century could be free after spending 35 years behind bars for killing their parents. The Menendez brothers are set to make their cases for parole marking the closest they've been to winning freedom from prison. A California judge has dramatically reduced the Menendez brothers' sentences, now aged 54 and 57. Erik and Lyle Menendez were at the centre of a media firestorm in the 1990s when their case went to trial, and attention has refocused on the pair after multiple documentaries. 'I came to a place where I believe, under the law, resentencing is appropriate,' Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said last year. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'I believe they have paid their debt to society.' This means the brothers, at the centre of one of America's worst true crime sagas, could soon be free. The brothers are up for parole because they were under 26 years old when they committed the crimes, Gascón said. The Menendez brothers' parents were found shot dead with a shotgun in August 1989. Jose was shot point-blank in the back of the head with a 12-gauge shotgun. He was killed instantly but his wife Kitty Menendez tried to run but slipped. She was shot in the leg as she tried to escape. She was shot multiple times in the chest, face, and arm with the facial shot making her nearly unrecognisable. Lyle Menendez dialled 911 to report the shotgun killings of their parents inside their home. Both brothers initially told detectives that the murders were related to the Mafia or had something to do with their father's business dealings. Suspicions were raised after Lyle Menendez told his therapist, Jerome Oziel, that he and his brother were the killers. While this isn't normally admissible evidence in court, it was allowed in a trial because Menendez allegedly threatened the therapist, voiding patient-doctor confidentiality. In 1992, the brothers were tried separately, in trials that were broadcast on TV. The brothers plead guilty to the murders, but said it was in self-defence as they claimed their father had been abusing them for years. The prosecution pointed to the pair's spending habits after the deaths to suggest that inheriting their family's wealth was the motivation. A witness testified that Lyle and Erik both bought Rolex watches and expensive clothes the day before their parents' funerals, which aroused suspicion. The juries were deadlocked, and so a second trial was ordered – with Lyle and Erik tried together. They were found guilty, and in 1996 started life sentences with no possibility of parole. Both appealed, but those were denied by the US District Court. Initially in separate prisons, they were reunited in the same facility 2018, after over 20 years apart. In May 2023, attorneys for the brothers asked courts to reconsider their conviction after a man came forward and said he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. Then Netflix released Monsters, a drama series about the murders. The series sparked further debate and conversation over the case. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on October 4, 2024, that his office was 'reviewing' new evidence for the case. On October 24, the LA prosecutor's office announced they are petitioning courts to resentence the brothers. The brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996. Their extended family members have called for their release, stressing that if the brothers were tried today with sexual abuse weighing in differently than decades ago, their conviction would not be the same. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Their case sparked worldwide interest, and was featured in the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The nine episodes released renewed public interest in the matter, while also drawing some backlash. Gascón said the brothers undoubtedly killed their parents, but that there is new evidence including a letter Erik apparently wrote to a cousin eight months before the killings in which he detailed the abuse. He said the evidence could have produced a different outcome from the jury had it been shown at the time. The state parole board must now decide whether to release the brothers from prison – and prosecutors must prove that they still pose a risk of committing violent crime again. A panel or two or three parole hearing officers from a board of commissioners appointed by the governor will evaluate the brothers individually. Erik Menendez will have his hearing followed by Lyle Menendez on Friday, over videoconference from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Even if the board grants their parole, it could still be months before the brothers walk free — if at all. If the board grants each brother's parole, the chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Then, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. Only then, if Newsom affirms the parole, would the Menendez brothers be able to leave prison. LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said: 'I am not saying they should be released, it's not for me to decide. More Trending 'I do believe they've done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance.' Erik and Lyle did not show any emotion during most of the testimony as they appeared via livestream video. But they chuckled when one of their cousins, Diane Hernandez, told the court that Erik received A+ grades in all of his classes during his most recent semester in college. A version of this article was originally published on October 24, 2024 Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Iconic rock band warn they'll 'never play many cities again' in devastating tour update MORE: Daughter heard mum beg for life before killer beat her to death on Ring doorbell MORE: Netflix fans 'already hooked' on new Suranne Jones thriller as all episodes drop


Metro
11 hours ago
- Metro
Daughter heard mum beg for life before killer beat her to death on Ring doorbell
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A daughter could only watch helplessly on a Ring doorbell camera as her mother begged for her life before being beaten to death by an intruder. Killer Dean Mears smashed his way into the home of vulnerable pensioner Catherine Flynn before dragging her from bed and stamping on her face and neck 15 times. Natasha Flynn-Farrell, 38, was helpless as she heard her mum pleading for her life over the camera at her north Wales home last October. All she could do was scream down the phone for the killer to leave her mother alone in the one-minute attack. By the time police rushed to her house, Mears, 34, had already fled, leaving Catherine with injuries likened to those suffered in high-speed car crashes. The 'frail and extremely vulnerable' grandmother, known as Cathy, died a day later when her family decided to switch off her life support. Her killer, who claimed he was too high on drugs to know what he was doing, admitted manslaughter but was convicted of murder following a nine-day trial. Mum-of-one Natasha is so traumatised by what happened that she is terrified of hearing a Ring doorbell sound. She told the Daily Mail: 'I will never get over the way she died, so brutally and needlessly. He targeted a vulnerable old lady, in her own bed, and beat her until she could take no more. No punishment will ever be enough. 'I am struggling with my grief and severe PTSD, and I miss mum so much.' Natasha was about to have her nightly call with her mum when a Ring doorbell notification alerted her to Mears' efforts to force his way into Cathy's house. Within seconds, she heard the sickening thuds as the 69-year-old, who used a Zimmer frame, was pulled from her bed and repeatedly smashed on the face. Natasha added: 'Mum always rang me around 10.30pm to let me know she was safe in bed. 'I picked my phone up ready for her call and noticed a notification from Ring doorbell. 'I clicked on it, knowing Mum would not have a visitor this late. 'The attack lasted less than a minute, but I was hysterical. I was trying to use the microphone, screaming at him to leave her alone. 'I called 999 and they made me wait for the police to arrive before I drove round to Mum's. I was in such a state, I just wanted to see her, but they wouldn't let me in. 'I'd convinced myself she'd somehow escaped injury, that he had smashed the place up and stolen whatever he wanted.' Mears, who the judge said had a 'long-standing addiction to harmful illicit drugs', then ran out of the house and got rid of his bloodstained clothes to try and cover his tracks. But the clear doorbell footage meant he was quickly arrested. After being found guilty of murder, Mears was jailed for 28 years. At his sentencing, Judge Rhys Rowlands told him: 'You dragged her out of bed…stamped on her face 15 times, pretty much breaking every bone in her face. 'She was frail and extremely vulnerable. She was a very small lady. Plainly terrified, Mrs Flynn can be heard to plead with you, but you showed no mercy…you can be heard repeatedly stamping on her face. 'Your adult life has been blighted by you taking illicit drugs…..I'm quite satisfied that this case was a murder for gain. You didn't break into Mrs Flynn's home intending to kill her – as such the murder was not premeditated. 'I cannot ignore 15 blows were aimed by you. This was unusual savagery. You are a dangerous individual.' The family will now have samples from Cathy's body returned to them so they will soon receive her ashes as a whole. Cathy raised three daughters and a son with her husband, Mick. The family had booked their Christmas meal out for December just four days before she was killed. Daughter Natasha described how her death has devastated the family and turned their lives upside down. More Trending She said: 'The months after Mum's death were a blur. We held her funeral, but we couldn't say a proper goodbye because the police had retained tissue samples as part of their investigation. 'Christmas came, and I forced myself to go out for the dinner we'd booked, because I knew Mum would want me to be strong. But all I could think of was the empty place where she should have been. 'Natalia passed her driving test, which Mum would have loved as she'd paid for the lessons. But it was bittersweet. We couldn't celebrate anything without our Queenie. 'I had severe PTSD and flashbacks; I couldn't bear to watch TV in case there was a doorbell ringing. I felt guilty, as though I could have somehow saved her. I was overwhelmed with grief.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: New £1 rail ticket will let you explore 95 destinations in this European country MORE: Skydiver Jade Damarell 'deliberately fell 15,500ft to her death' after relationship ended MORE: Facial recognition cameras rolled out at Notting Hill Carnival will 'breach human rights'