Who is Arthur Collins? Ex-boyfriend of Ferne McCann sentenced to 20 years for East London acid attack
The thug — who's the father of Ferne's daughter, Sunday — was found guilty of the April 2017 attack after a trial at the Wood Green Crown Court.
Who is Arthur Collins?
Arthur Collins is a former scaffolder and businessman from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, who was known for dating Towie star Ferne McCann.
The Sun first revealed the pair were an item back in June 2016 – but they split following a trip to Ibiza.
The pair rekindled their romance the following March after Ferne failed to find love on reality show Celebs Go Dating.
Ferne later revealed she was keen to move in with Collins, telling OK! magazine: “We spend every night together anyway. Moving in is definitely the next step. And I know that seems a bit rushed, but when you know, you know."
Following the acid attack and Collins' arrest, Ferne released a statement confirming she was pregnant but had split from Collins.
She then publicly spoke on This Morning, where she broke down during the discussion.
She said: “This isn’t how I imagined my first pregnancy to be, but this isn’t about me… my main concern and priority is the baby.”
Ferne gave birth to Collins daughter, Sunday, on November 2, 2017.
When did Arthur Collins carry out the nightclub acid attack?
On November 14, 2017, Collins was found guilty of carrying out an acid attack after a trial at Wood Green Crown Court in North London.
He was convicted of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, and nine counts of actual bodily harm against 14 people.
Collins threw acid across the packed dance floor at Mangle nightclub in Dalston, East London, during an Easter weekend night out in April 2017.
He had claimed he threw the substance by mistake after hearing a group of men plotting to spike a woman's drink.
The court heard that he picked up a container that he thought was a date rape drug and threw it away.
But a jury found him guilty of carrying out the acid attack that left clubbers in agony and sparked a panicked evacuation and a massive emergency response.
Collins' co-defendant, Andre Phoenix, 21, of Tottenham, North London, was acquitted of four counts of grievous bodily harm and two of actual bodily harm.
CCTV footage played in court showed Collins throwing a substance into the face of another man before scattering it over others.
Collins left the club and then went on the run, sparking a nationwide manhunt, before he was tracked down to a house in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire.
He was arrested after jumping from the first-floor window of the house, breaking bones in both his feet,
Collins told the jury he went on the run after the attack as he feared a gang would target pregnant Ferne.
Collins was sentenced to 20 years for the attack on December 19.
Jailing Collins, with an additional five years on licence, Judge Noel Lucas QC said the then-25-year-old was "an accomplished and calculating liar" who had failed to demonstrate "the slightest remorse".
What happened after Collins was jailed?
On December 28, 2017, Collins admitted to smuggling a phone into prison to ring his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
He pleaded guilty at Bromley Magistrates' Court to having the phone, which the court heard was used to ring "friends and family" and make private calls to pregnant Ferne.
Collins' sentence was extended for eight months for the offence.
On October 3, 2018, he had an appeal against his sentence rejected by the Court of Appeal.
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