Arthur Collins acid trial: Ferne McCann's family 'told of baby news'

Arthur Collins says he was trying to prevent a date rape drug being used to spike clubbers' drinks

The ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann told her family she was pregnant hours before he sprayed a crowd of nightclub revellers with acid, a court has heard.

Arthur Collins, 25, the father of Ms McCann's unborn child, said they broke the news at a barbecue on 16 April.

In the early hours of 17 April, more than a dozen people were injured at the Mangle E8 club in Dalston, east London.

Mr Collins admits throwing the liquid but says he did not know it was acid.

Mr Collins and his co-accused, 21-year-old Andre Phoenix, deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm in relation to the incident, in which several people were disfigured.

Jurors at Wood Green Crown Court heard that Mr Collins had been in a serious relationship with The Only Way Is Essex star Ms McCann for about a year at the time, and had found out she was pregnant just weeks earlier.

"It was the happiest I have ever felt. We were both really happy," said Mr Collins, who was living with his parents in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.

The court heard how after breaking the news, Mr Collins left the barbecue to attend a LoveJuice event at Mangle.

Sixteen people were injured in the incident at Mangle

Mr Collins - who had entered the club wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Candy Killer" - told the jury he had been drinking at the venue but was not drunk.

CCTV footage of the alleged attack showed victims clutching their faces after Mr Collins was seen dousing revellers from a bottle with a substance later found to have contained a liquid with a rating of pH1 - indicating a strong acid.

Mr Collins told the jury he had thought the bottle actually contained a date rape drug.

He said he had snatched it after hearing two men planning to spike a woman's drink.

'Really aggressive'

Mr Collins said: "I wanted to show them the drugs was gone so they wouldn't spike any girl's drink and show them there was nothing left in the bottle."

He said the men were "really aggressive" as they came towards him in a bid to get the bottle back.

"I remember undoing the bottle and I threw it at the males," he told the jury.

Before Mr Collins gave evidence on Wednesday, jurors were told a number of the charges against him and Mr Phoenix had been dropped following legal argument.

Mr Collins denies five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of causing actual bodily harm against 14 people.

Mr Phoenix, of Clyde Road, Tottenham, north London, denies four counts of GBH and two counts of ABH.

The trial continues.