The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
TV star’s ex guilty of club acid attack
Man hurled substance over packed crowd
The ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann has been found guilty of an acid attack in a packed nightclub.
Arthur Collins, the father of The Only Way Is Essex star’s newborn daughter, hurled the substance over a crowd at the Mangle E8 in Dalston, east London, on April 17.
The 25-year-old, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court yesterday of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, and nine counts of actual bodily harm against 14 people, by a majority verdict of 10 to two.
There were tears in the public gallery as the jury’s verdict was read out, which was packed with Collins’ family and friends.
Collins remained calm, and even gave his family a wink before sitting down after hearing the jury’s decision.
He admitted throwing the bottle of fluid over clubbers but said he did not know it was acid.
He said he thought the liquid was a date rape drug, which he had snatched from two men after overhearing them planning to spike a girl’s drink.
A total of 22 people reported injuries to the police when acid was thrown over the dancefloor, which was packed with Bank Holiday revellers.
Sixteen people suffered chemical burn injuries and three people were temporarily blinded - one of whom still suffers from blurred vision in one eye.
Collins said he had been out celebrating the news of Ms McCann’s pregnancy. CCTV showed him and codefendant Andre Phoenix, 21, arriving at the club at about 9pm before getting into a confrontation with a group of men about four hours later.
At about 1am people are seen clutching their faces and running off the dancefloor after Collins douses them with a liquid. Clubbers dropped to their knees, shielded their faces with clothing, and rubbed ice on blistered skin. The substance was later found to have contained a liquid with a rating of pH1, indicating a strong acid.
Victims described a burning smell and their skin “blistering straight away” before everyone started “screaming, shouting, running”.
Collins and Phoenix were identified from the CCTV footage, in which Collins could be seen wearing a T-shirt with the word “killer” written on it.
Phoenix was arrested on April 21 but Collins went on the run and was not apprehended until several days later.
Judge Noel Lucas QC adjourned Collins’ sentencing until December 19 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. He warned Collins to expect a “very substantial immediate custodial sentence”.