Cops: Drugs feud sparked trouble at packed venue
ERUPTED Rivals clashed inside the club A TIT-FOR-TAT drugs war was behind the nightclub acid attack by Arthur Collins, police believe.
It can now be revealed officers believe Collins had been on both the giving and receiving end of gangland violence.
CCTV released yesterday shows him clearly throwing the liquid inside the club towards “rivals”.
But the suspected motive was never put before the jury.
However, the first time Collins was in court, prosecutors painted a different picture. At a bail hearing in April, the magistrates were told: “It is the Crown’s contention that this bears the hallmarks of both drug-related activity and gangrelated activity.”
The jury also did not hear that when police raided Collins’ parents’ home, where he lived in an outhouse at the rear, they discovered a cannabis farm along weapons including a Tasers and two canisters of CS gas.
Collins, who claims to be a scaffolder, hired George Carter-Stephenson QC to lead his defence. His former clients include property tycoons, music stars and ex-England captain John Terry.
Last year Collins’ boasts about drugs came to light on his open Facebook page. In one post he bragged: “HALF OD DA CROUD IZ SNORTTIN MY CHARLIEEEEEE!! [cocaine].”