Joanne Rand

Joanne Rand was a 47-year-old woman who was sitting on a bench in High Wycombe in 2017 when she was fatally injured by acid that was thrown during a gang fight nearby.

Xeneral Webster, then 18 years old and from East Acton in west London, was the perpetrator responsible for the death of Joanne Rand. 

A member of the 12World street gang (also known as “The General” or Imiuru), he travelled to High Wycombe on 3 June 2017 armed with a bottle of industrial-strength sulphuric acid to confront another man, Saqib Hussain, over a drugs dispute.

During the fight, Webster brandished the open bottle threateningly; when Hussain kicked it away, the acid sprayed onto Rand, who was sitting nearby on a bench. She suffered burns, developed septicaemia, and died 11 days later from multiple organ failure.

Webster initially faced a murder charge but pleaded guilty to manslaughter (plus offensive weapon and affray charges). In July 2018, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison with a three-year extended licence. He has a prior history involving acid, including being both a perpetrator and victim of such attacks, and later received additional sentences for further violent offences, including a life term with a 14-year minimum for assaulting a prison officer.

Joanne was a completely innocent bystander who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Joanne died from her injuries and is remembered as a warm and caring person.

Rest in peace Joanne. You will not be forgotten.