Mangle E8 acid-throwing suspect found guilty

The Mangle E8 acid-attack perpetrator, Arthur Collins, has been found guilty. The April 2017 attack injured 22 individuals.

Collins will be sentenced 19th December. He has been found guilty of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, and nine counts of actual bodily harm.

The incident was recorded on closed-circuit television and Collins was caught 22nd April in Rushden, Northamptonshire.

Collins told the court he was at the club celebrating the pregnancy of his then-girlfriend and reality TV star Ferne McCann with a group of men. Collins noted he took the liquid from the pocket of one of the guests and thought it was a date-rape drug. The CCTV system then caught Collins repeatedly spraying guests with the liquid. 

As originally reported, 600 people attended the LOVEJUICE event at the East London nightclub the night of the attack (17th April). Three people sustained eye injuries, one of whom told the court the vision in one of his eyes remains blurry. Another victim suffered third-degree burns to the left side of his face, ear, neck and shoulder area.

BBC has indicated that the acid victims are now suing the venue. "It [the bottle of acid] should have been stopped on entry," says solicitor Ayesha Nayyar.

"Had the club done the right searches and checks, the bottle would've been picked out and Arthur Collins would've been stopped.

"The checks and searches on entry into the club were grossly inadequate."

Mangle E8 says it followed all the required security standards: "We are satisfied, as are the police, that security arrangements at the venue were more than adequate." 

Private security professionals in London are being trained to handle similar violent incidents. A mug shot of Collins is below.