Ferne McCann’s acid-attacker ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins has admitted to hiding a mobile phone inside a crutch he was using while in prison.
The 25-year-old hid the phone, as well as two sim cards and two USB sticks, inside the crutch while being held on pre-trial remand at HMP Thameside in September.
Arthur was being held there ahead of his trial over the acid attack that took place at a London nightclub in April, for which he was jailed for 20 years just last week.
On Wednesday, Arthur appeared from the maximum security HMP Belmarsh via video link at Bromley Magistrates’ Court in London, and he admitted one charge of possession of a prohibited item while in prison.
According to The Sun, the court heard that he wanted to use the phone to make private calls to Ferne, who was pregnant with their child at the time.
The court heard that the items were found when a prison officer removed the rubber stopper from the bottom of his crutch during a cell search.
Arthur had been using the crutch after hurting his feet trying to escape police while on the run for the acid attack.
The court heard evidence was later found on the phone of calls and messages to family and friends.
Collins’ lawyer, Audrey Mogan, said, “He did not have the phone for any sinister purpose. His partner at the time was heavily pregnant and gave birth the following November. He had this phone because he and his partner had been hounded by the media.”
“He knows there was a phone in the cell but he knows the calls are recorded. Because of that he was afraid that information would get out to the media.”
District Judge Robert Hunter committed the case to Woolwich Crown Court for sentencing on a date to be fixed.
Arthur was sentenced to 20 years in prison for hurling a corrosive substance over a crowd at Mangle nightclub in East London on April 17.
He claimed that he did not know the bottle contained acid, believing it to contain a liquid date rape drug.
However, the jury convicted him of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of actual bodily harm.
