TOWIE star's acid-attacker ex probed over prison smuggling plot using drones
The acid attacker attacker ex of former TOWIE star Ferne McCann has been transferred to another jail over fears he was building a drugs empire behind bars.
Arthur Collins, 32, was probed over fears he was plotting to smuggle drugs into Cat C HMP The Mount using drones. The thug was handed a 20-year jail sentence in 2017 for hurling acid inside a nightclub - leaving 16 people with chemical burns and three people temporarily blinded.
Prison chiefs launched an investigation over suspicions dealers were flooding the jail with drugs using drones. Concerns were raised that Collins - who shares daughter Sunday, six, with ex-partner Ferne, 34 - had masterminded the plot in the Herts prison. No police investigation was carried out, but the Mirror can today reveal Collins has been moved to a tougher jail.
A source said: "Collins has been at the centre of a major internal prison investigation. There were fears drug dealers had been using drones to flood HMP The Mount with drugs. It's a huge worry that tens of thousands of pounds worth of drugs were going to make their way into the jail.
"The police have not been called in as it has been dealt with internally. Collins has now been moved to another prison, which is a lot stricter."
Vile Collins launched his acid attack on a 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. He was convicted of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine of actual bodily harm.
In 2018 the Court of Appeal threw out an attempt to cut his jail time. Lord Justice Simon said: 'These were exceptionally serious offences, and the severe sentence was fully justified.'
As Collins was jailed Ferne released a statement in which she said: "Ferne's thoughts are of course with the innocent people caught up in the events at Mangle last April. No-one should ever be faced with violence on a night out." And speaking after the sentencing, Ferne told how she visited Collins prison and told him: "This is the last time you will see either of us. You have ruined our lives. This is what you have done. And this is what you are missing out on. You will never see us again."
Ferne said: "I went to see Arthur and I took Sunday with me. This was because I am very angry about what has happened and I needed to communicate that and wanted to hear what Arthur had to say. I thought it was important that Arthur see Sunday and see exactly what his actions have led to him missing out on.
"I strongly feel for the innocent people hurt that night and I in no way condone violence as I have already made clear. It was a difficult decision to take Sunday into that environment but I felt I needed to confront him about a number of things, which I have now done."
Since being jailed Collins has been in trouble in jail and had extra time added in 2018 for smuggling a phone into prison which he used to call his Towie ex. Inspectors in 2024 found HMP The Mount had a major issue with drugs and drones. A report said: "The prison was not able to stop the entry of drugs and weapons into the prison by drones.
"Traditional security measures were no longer proving effective. The biggest concern for both inspectors and leaders at The Mount was the ingress of contraband into the jail on drones, the scale of which could not be known for certain. As well as some large packages of drugs – two kilograms of cannabis in one case – weapons had also been recently found.
"I was struck by conversations I had with two experienced prisoners who told me they were frightened by the risks posed by weapons coming into the prison. Without more support from the prison service there is a danger that many of the positives we found on this inspection could be undone.
"As well as reducing the supply of drugs, it is also incumbent on the leaders at The Mount to make sure that a much higher proportion of prisoners are involved in genuinely purposeful activity."
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