A DAD accused of orchestrating an acid attack on his three-year-old son described the boy as ‘my heart’ and said he would never hurt him.

Transcripts of the 40-year-old’s police interviews were read to the jury at Worcester Crown Court yesterday. The Afghan and his six co-defendants deny conspiracy to apply a corrosive fluid (sulphuric acid) with intent to burn, maim, disfigure, disable or do grievous bodily harm to the boy in Home Bargains in Worcester on Saturday, July 21 last year.

The dad was arrested in the early hours of the following morning at his home and interviewed by police under caution in the presence of his solicitor and interpreter. He said: “I’m very upset. I’m so sad I am here.”

The father, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: “My child is my heart.”

Officers told him his son had received ‘significant injuries’ and the father replied ‘I would not do this’ and ‘I would not do such a thing to my child.’

The father said he was sleeping when officers arrived at his home to arrest him. “I was shocked. They were banging quite heavily on the front door” he said.

Asked to account for his movements on the day of the attack he said he rose at 5am to pray, spoke to quite a few people that day but could not remember who, telling them ‘I do not remember anyone in particular and do not want to mention any names.’

He told officers he could not remember why he left his flat and when asked why not he said he could not remember. An officer asked him: “Do you have a problem with your memory?”

He answered: “I’m very upset right now.”

When officers told him he was suspected of involvement in the alleged plot to attack his son he said: “I love my son more than myself.”

He claimed he went to Birmingham during the day and bought an ice cream and looked around the shops. He told officers he had been to Worcester before but it was three or four years ago. Officers seized three mobile phones from the defendant upon his arrest. The father was asked if they would find anything on the phones to link him to the attack. He answered ‘please look at it’ and when the question was put again he said: “Nothing. I don’t know.”

Officers showed him CCTV stills of co-defendants Adam Cech, Jan Dudi and Norbert Pulko in Home Bargains on the day of the alleged acid attack. He told officers: “I do not know them.” When shown a photo of Dudi he said: “Is he male? It looks like a woman.”

Another interview took place on July 23 last year when he told officers: “I haven’t done anything to the child. If you ask me any questions I’m not going to answer them.” He added: “I told you yesterday and I tell you today, my son is my heart, my life. I did not do anything to him.”

A third interview was conducted on July 24 last year when he submitted a prepared statement, claiming not to know Pulko, 22, of Sutherland Road, London, Dudi, 25, of Cranbrook Road, Birmingham or Cech, 27, of Farnham Road, Birmingham.

Police asked him to account for cash found during a search of his home. They found £600 in a drawer in a bedroom which he said was for council tax and fees for staff at the contact centre where he saw his children. He said a further £2,000 to £3,000 was to pay barristers and that thousands of pounds (not counted at that stage by the police) found in a bag in the bathroom was money from friends to buy a house.

“Is this money to pay for someone to harm your child?” he was asked.

“How would I harm my child?” he said.

The trial continues.