LONDON (AP) — A jury in central England has convicted a man of plotting an acid attack on his 3 year-old son amid a custody battle with the child's mother.

The 40-year-old father, who cannot be named to protect the child's identity, was convicted in Worcester Crown Court with five others of conspiring to throw sulfuric acid with intent to "burn, maim or disfigure" the boy in an attack inside a busy shop in July 2018.

The jury is deliberating over a seventh defendant.

Prosecutors allege that the father, who was originally from Afghanistan, enlisted others to attack his son to win more contact with the child by showing that his mother was unfit to care for him.

The child suffered serious injuries to his face and arm, but is recovering.