Baby's devastating reaction to seeing dad for first time after acid attack
A father has emotionally opened up about his baby’s reaction to seeing his face for the first time since he was the victim of a horrific acid attack.
Andreas Christopheros, a successful businessman, was left blind in one eye when a stranger knocked on his door in December 2014 and threw a pint of sulphuric acid in his face, leaving him blind in one eye and with serious burns to his face, arms, and body.
Aged 29 at the time, he was at his home in Truro, Cornwall, with his wife at the time, Pia, and his 18-month-old baby son Theo, when he was attacked in what was later realised to be a case of mistaken identity - the attacker had gone to the wrong house.
In 2015, David Phillips from Hastings, Sussex, who was responsible for the assault, was given a life term after he admitted to assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
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Following an appeal in 2016, judges imposed a 16-year sentence and said he would be eligible for parole after he had served eight years.
Now, in an interview with LADBible Stories, Andreas has talked through the life-changing day, what happened afterwards, and how he found the strength to keep going.
When the father awoke in a hospital bed in intensive care days after the attack, he began a journey that would involve years of treatment, countless procedures, and a complete rebuilding of his life.
'Soul-destroying'
However, his biggest fear during his time in hospital was whether his baby boy would recognise him, and how he would react to seeing him following the burns on his face.
Andreas said: “We made a decision that Theo, my eldest, wasn't to come to hospital. He didn't need to. He needed love, food, support, toys. He didn't need to see the horror that was going on.
“My biggest fear lying in a hospital bed was, ‘Will he recognise me? How will he react to me? ‘And I hadn't seen him for the best part of four months, which was soul-destroying.”
He continued: “That was so tough, but I knew he had what he needed. I knew he was gonna be okay.
“Once I was outta hospital and once I settled, Pia went and got Theo and brought him to me. And Theo took one look at me and grabbed her, wouldn't come to me.
“But when he heard me talk, he knew it was me. As soon as he heard my voice, he stuck his arms out for a hug. And he didn't let go of me for a very long time that day.”
'This is for you, mate'
During the interview, Andreas also talked about the day the terrifying attack took place, as he recalled: “I saw this red van come down the road.
"And I clocked the red van, because it was exactly the same make, model, and colour as one of the vans that we have, one of our staff members uses for work.
“And so, well, what's that doing here? And then, realised it wasn't our van. I carried on about my business. Shortly after that, I had a knock at the front door. And I went and opened the front door as I would to anybody, and still do in the same way.
“And as I opened the front door, I instantly received a pint of sulphuric acid to the face whilst my attacker said, “This is for you, mate,” and ran.”
Andreas shouted upstairs to his then-wife, Pia, urging her to call an ambulance as he instantly realised what had happened to him.
He added: “I ran through the house, got to the kitchen, took off what clothes I could, and started dousing myself with as much water as I could in the kitchen sink.”
Andreas then ‘blacked out’ on his driveway after police and paramedics arrived, and woke up in the ICU six days later.
After a long rehabilitation and recovery process and a number of surgeries, Andreas has spent the last 10 years campaigning to raise awareness of the horrors of acid attacks, as well as for a change in the way the justice system handles them, after his attacker had life lifted from his sentence, shortening it to 16 years, of which he was only to serve eight in jail.
Speaking of his life now, he said: “Yes, I miss having good eyesight. Yes, I miss having not a burnt face, but it's changed me as a person. It's opened up a lot of doors.
“I live a very different life, live a very interesting life, and I'm really proud of the journey I've taken to get to where I am now.”
He is currently raising money for Face Forward International, a Beverly Hills-based charity in Los Angeles, which specialises in reconstructive surgery for people of domestic violence and other acts of crime.
Andreas will be cycling 450 miles from Cornwall to Paris in just 4 days this September 2026. You can donate to his fundraiser here.
You can watch Andreas’ full interview on the LADBible Stories YouTube channel.
Madison Burgess