The partner of reality TV star Ferne McCann is being hunted by police in connection with a suspected acid attack at a London nightclub over the weekend that left 20 people injured.
Police swooped on the £1 million (about $1.3 million) property of 25-year-old Arthur Collins on Tuesday to question him after a corrosive liquid was sprayed at Mangle in Dalston, east London during a brawl. But he appeared to be away at the time of the raid.
Collins, originally from Hertfordshire, is believed to be in a relationship with Ferne McCann, best known for her appearances on British reality TV shows The Only Way is Essex and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
McCann herself was nowhere to be seen the night of the attack. A spokeswoman for TV star said: “Ferne is aware that the police wish to speak to Arthur Collins and the nature of the accusations against him. Obviously these are highly shocking and Ferne has co-operated with the police in their inquiries.
“She was not with Arthur on Sunday night; was not at Mangle; and has no direct knowledge of the events that unfolded.”
Among those injured during the attack were 22-year-old model Isobella Fraser and her sister Prue, 20, from Sydney, who suffered serious chemical burns to her arms.
Another victim was the cousin of former Premier League footballer Jamie O’Hara, Sadie Wright, who later condemned the attack as “sick.”
A further eight people have since contacted police to report their injuries.
Officers believe a fight broke out between two groups of people when a bottle-size container of liquid containing a noxious substance, which is yet to be identified, was hurled at two men in the packed nightclub, hitting many others.The 24 and 29-year-old men were taken to a specialist burns unit at an Essex hospital.
However, police said the attack did not seem to be gang related and no arrests have been made.
A 20-year old victim who wished to remain anonymous told the BBC that she was blinded during the assault and “couldn’t see”
She said the men were “two black guys, but their faces were turned white because of the acid.”
“I was standing by the bar and then I got hit by something that at first felt like water but then my arms started blistering,” she said.
About 600 people had to be evacuated from Mangle nightclub as emergency services and a hazardous area response team rushed to the scene.
Some party goers have criticized the club saying security did not carry out sufficient searches at the event.
The venue has not yet commented on the incident.