Arthur Collins acid attack: victims tell of 'horrific' scenes after TOWIE star Ferne McCann’s ex is found guilty

WARNING: contains distressing images
Isobella and Prue Fraser suffered injuries in the acid attack in Dalston
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

­­­

An Australian model today told of her “lucky” escape from Arthur Collin’s nightclub acid attack saying: “it could have been so much worse”.

Her comments come as two other victims spoke of months of mental and physical rehabilitation therapy after the ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann was found guilty.

Arthur Collins, 25, the father of Ms McCann’s new-born daughter, hurled the noxious substance over a crowd at the Mangle E8 in Dalston, east London, injuring 16 people.

Prosecutor Ciro D’Alessio told Wood Green Crown Court that the attack was a result of a “gangland war that has unfortunately drawn members of the public into it”.

Prue Fraser, 21, arrived at the club at 11.30pm after a last-minute invitation from a friend on April 17.

She was thrown behind a bar as the fight between Collins and a man in the crowd broke out, narrowly escaping serious injury.

Her sister Isobella, who was visiting her sister from Sydney, suffered third degree burns to her back and arms.

Following the attack Isobella told the Standard that they saw six other girls who had it in their eyes, faces and chest areas screaming and crying.

On Monday Prue said: “I’ve recovered now luckily. I’ve heard [Collins] is going to prison but I haven’t been following the trial. I’ve tried to forget about it but everyone keeps messaging me.

“My sister and I feel very lucky to have gotten away with it. We are a lot better off than the others who were injured, it could have been so much worse there were some horrific injuries.”

Acid attack: Phoebe Georgiou, pictured, was a victim of the Mangle E8 nightclub attack
PA

Video from inside the club shows Collins grabbing a bottle containing the acid from the back pocket of an unidentified man and then “forcefully” throwing it at the face of one of the men he was arguing with.

The man falls to the floor in pain as Collins squirts the contents of the bottle twice more, splashing people on the dancefloor.

Victims told police they saw “steam” rise above them and described an “all pervasive chemical smell” which made them choke.

Injuries: Lauren Trent was a victim of the acid attack in the Mangle E8 nightclub
PA

Today two victims of the acid attack called for tougher sentences for offenders as they revealed images of their horrific injuries.

Phoebe Georgiou, 23, and Lauren Trent, 22, were celebrating their birthdays when they were caught by the acid flung by Collins.

Miss Trent suffered first degree burns to her legs, feet, chest and neck.

Her friend, who was also caught in the attack, suffered facial burns and permanent scarring. She told Sky News that the club was “like a war zone” after the attack.

Lauren Trent: The 22-year-old suffered first degree burns to her legs, feet, chest and neck.
PA

Miss Georgiou saw a “thick, steaming” liquid flying towards her and felt it splash over her chest and arm.

“My whole chest looked like it had been ripped apart and I could see the inside of my chest and my arm,” she said.

She added: “It’s not just physically scarring, it’s mentally which is the hardest.

“Now I have a life sentence to deal with, with scars and mental injuries. And I have to see a therapist about twice a week because I’m dealing with such bad anxiety and panic attacks and sleep paralysis.”

Guilty: Arthur Collins
Metropolitan Police

Earlier this year Home Secretary Amber Rudd instructed prosecutors to bring even tougher charges, carrying a maximum life sentence, against those who throw acid.

Collins 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.

Arthur Collins, left, with ex-girlfriend reality TV personality Ferne McCann
Instagram

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

A total of 22 people reported injuries to the police when acid was thrown, 16 people suffered chemical burn injuries and three people were temporarily blinded.

One person still suffers from blurred vision in one eye.

Reality star Ferne McCann gave birth to Collins’s baby on November 2 after announcing her pregnancy on the afternoon of the attack.

Collins was convicted on five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of assault causing ABH on a majority verdict of 10 to two following the attack on the night of Sunday, April 17.

He will be sentenced on December 19.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT