Arthur Collins, the ex-boyfriend of reality TV-star Ferne McCann, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail over an acid attack in a London nightclub that injured 22 people.
The 25-year-old threw the corrosive substance at a crowd in Mangle E8 in the early hours of April 17, leaving 16 people suffering with serious burns.
Police said that in the immediate aftermath of the incident there were fears that the eye injuries of three victims were so severe that their vision could be permanently affected.
Although this proved not to be the case, one of the victims told the court during the trial that he still suffers blurred vision in one of his eyes.
Last month, Collins was found guilty of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of actual bodily harm at Wood Green Crown Court.
The court heard how the attack happened after he got into an altercation with a group of men on the dance floor at the club shortly before 1am.
Collins was captured on CCTV grabbing a bottle containing the noxious substance from the back pocket of an unidentified man, and throwing the substance towards the face of one of the men he was arguing with.
After the man dropped to the floor, Collins squirted the contents of the bottle twice more.
Victims described seeing “steam” rise above them and a pervasive chemical smell which made them choke.
Collins, who also sustained burn injuries from the acid used, stayed at the club for nearly another hour until about 1.50am.
He was captured on camera after the attack appearing to laugh.
At the time of the guilty verdict in November, Hackney Borough commander Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Laurence called the incident a “barbaric and cowardly act”.
“Collins went to the nightclub that night with a bottle of a noxious substance with the intent to use it to inflict serious harm,” he said.
“He indiscriminately and recklessly sprayed the substance in a crowded place, knowing full well the danger this would pose to a large number of people.”
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