A woman who suffered horrific injuries to her face and upper body after acid was sprayed on her has said she feels sorry for her teenage attacker.

Tara Quigley, 28, said it remains a mystery as to why a 15-year-old boy carried out the acid attack on her doorstep in Marshalls Road, Romford.

She said she has suffered “horrible” pain and still has to undergo two more skin grafts next year.

Asked today on ITV Daybreak how she feels about her attacker, Tara said: “Some days I hate him, but the majority of the time I feel quite sorry for him, because I feel he is a child who is not capable of making an adult decision, even though he thought he did, he can’t.

“He can’t make an adult decision, because he is a child.”

The 15-year old was charged in May with throwing corrosive fluid on a person with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said he has pleaded guilty to the charge and is due to be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on Friday.

Tara answered the door to the boy, a stranger, who asked to speak to “Michelle” shortly before 9pm on April 30.

Speaking to Daybreak, she said: “I was at home with my family.

“A young man knocked at my front door, asked me if my name was Michelle, to which I told him my name was Tara, so he left, quite abruptly. He came back about five minutes later and knocked again - as soon as I opened my front door, he just threw the acid at me.”

Tara managed to shut the door after the assault and rinse her face with water while an ambulance was called.

Her pet dog - a long-haired chihuahua - also required treatment.