Former Boyfriend of Reality TV Star Ferne McCann has been found guilty of an acid attack that injured 16 people. The incident took place at Mangle E8 Nightclub in East London on April 17th. A Lovejuice Warehouse Party was taking place at the venue.
The attacker Arthur Collins, 25, was celebrating the pregnancy of his ex-girlfriend when he got involved in a argument with a group of men. In the altercation he took a liquid from the back pocket of one of the men and sprayed the substance from a spray bottle. The incident took place around 1 am which was followed by Collins’s arrest on April 22.
Out of the 22 people injured, 16 people sustained sever burns. Although the liquid was not specifically identified, a pH ranking of 1 was given to it; 1 is the most acidic classification on the pH scale. When club goers were doused with the acidic substance, several covered their faces and attempted to heal their blisters with ice cubes. Acid, when used as a weapon, can cause permanent disfigurement and great bodily harm. This was evidenced by one of the victims of the attack who took damage to his vision and has yet to recover. Other victims of the attack received third degree burns to the shoulder, ear, neck, and face.
According to Collins, his intention was not to inflict burns to his victims. Perceiving it as a date rape drug, he claimed he was unaware that the liquid was an acid. This proved to be false when the prosecution found a text message in which he told his mother to “mind that little hand wash in my car acid”.
Along with Collins, twenty-one-year old Andre Phoenix was accused of participating in the altercation. In the final ruling Phoenix was released from all charges, but Collins has been found guilty. He was convicted of nine counts of bodily harm and five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent. His sentencing will take place on December 19th.