YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR BABY AGAIN...
TV Ferne’s vow as she visits acid attack ex in jail with daughter
TV presenter Ferne McCann has revealed she visited her ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins in prison to show him their baby daughter for the first – and last – time.
The 27-year-old confronted her former fiance to tell him he would never see his child again after being found guilty of one of Britain’s worst acid attacks.
Drug dealer Collins, 25, is facing years in jail after he squirted acid across a packed nightclub dancefloor in a tit-for-tat gangland war that scarred 22 revellers.
Just hours before the attack, he and Miss McCann had celebrated her pregnancy at a family gathering at which he spoke of his delight at soon becoming a father.
Miss McCann gave birth to their daughter Sunday three weeks ago. Following the pair’s visit to see Collins in Belmarsh prison, South London, the former The Only Way is Essex star said she told him: ‘This is the last time you will ever see us’. ‘I thought it was important that Arthur see Sunday and see exactly what his actions have led to him missing out on,’ she told the Sunday People.
‘I strongly feel for the innocent people hurt that night and I in
‘This is what you are missing’
no way condone violence as I have already made clear.
‘It was a difficult decision to take Sunday into that environment but I felt I needed to confront him about a number of things, which I have now done.’
The This Morning presenter added that she had told him: ‘You have ruined our lives.
‘This is what you have done. And this is what you are miss- ing out on. You will never see us again.’
Earlier this month a court heard how Collins launched his attack during an altercation at Mangle nightclub in Hackney, East London, in April. Recently released CCTV footage shows the moment he threw acid from a bottle three times while hiding behind friends. Some victims fell to their knees in agony, rubbing ice from drinks on to their burning skin.
Two were temporarily blinded and others were left badly disfigured. Collins was convicted of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine of actual bodily harm. Victims say he should be given a life sentence as some will carry their scars for the rest of their lives.
Last night a friend of Miss McCann’s said of the prison visit: ‘Ferne gave Arthur a piece of her own mind. She showed him his child and said that he would never see her again. It was a heartbreaking meeting but Ferne needed to get closure.’