Arthur Collins sentenced to total of 25 years for London nightclub acid attack

Arthur Collins, the former boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann, has been sentenced to a total of 25 years after carrying out an acid attack in a London nightclub.

After being convicted of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, and nine counts of actual bodily harm against 14 people in November, the 25-year-old from Hertfordshire was jailed for 20 years on Tuesday, and will serve a further five years on licence.

Sentencing Collins at Wood Green Crown Court, Judge Noel Lucas described it as "a deliberate and calculated attack".

The father of The Only Way Is Essex star's newborn daughter, hurled acid over a crowd at the Mangle E8 in Dalston, east London, on 17 April.

Collins admitted throwing the bottle of fluid over clubbers but claimed 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.

Collins was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court on November 13.

Collins' co-defendant, Andre Phoenix, 21, from Tottenham, north London, was acquitted of four counts of grievous bodily harm and two of actual bodily harm.

More than a dozen people were injured when acid was thrown over the dance-floor, which was packed with revellers.

Collins said he had been out celebrating the news of his former partner, Ms McCann's pregnancy, which they had announced to her family the previous day.

CCTV showed him and Mr Phoenix arriving at the club at about 9pm before getting into a confrontation with a group of men around four hours later.

At around 1am people were seen clutching their faces and running off the dancefloor after Collins doused them with a liquid.

Clubbers dropped to their knees, shielded their faces with clothing, and rubbed ice on blistered skin after the attack.

Victims described a burning smell and their skin "blistering straight away" before everyone started "screaming, shouting, running".

The substance was later found to have a rating of pH1 - indicating a strong acid.

Judge Lucas said: "[His defence] from first to last was carefully researched and choreographed in order to explain away the evidence against him.

"It shows him to be an accomplished and calculated liar. It shows someone who has shown not a shred of remorse for his actions...

"He threw [the acid] on three occasions irrespective of the persons on whom it landed.

"His motivations for such a vicious course of conduct was nothing more than a perceived personal slight."

To Collins, he added: "This was a despicable act.

"You knew precisely what strong acid would do to human skin.

"Having thrown the acid over the club you slunk away and hid in the rear and pretended to be nothing to do with the mayhem you had caused.

"In my judgement it was deliberate and calculated and you were intent on causing really serious harm to your victims.

"I have concluded that you meet the dangerousness criteria. I have concluded I must pass an extended sentence to protect the public from further harm from you."

Collins was told he must serve two-thirds of the custodial part of his sentence in custody with an extra five years on licence.