Opinion: 'Sentence given to acid attacker sets a standard'

Arthur Collins has been sentenced for attacking clubbers with acid - but Lauren Trent is not sure whether justice has been served.
Lauren Trent was one of the clubbers injured in an acid attack by Arthur Collins in April.

Collins, an ex-boyfriend of TOWIE star Ferne McCann, has now been sentenced to 20 years in jail with a further five years on licence.

Here, Lauren tells her story:

I was celebrating my 22nd birthday with my best friend Sophie at the time of the attack. We were invited on to a friend's table.

We were about to leave - probably about two minutes before it happened. As I bent down to get my bag, that's when the acid struck.
All I really remember of that night is the dancefloor. Everyone just suddenly looked like they had been swallowed up.

I remember the sheer panic - and 10 seconds later, when I touched my neck, skin was coming off in my hands.

I remember coming out of the bathroom after dousing myself in water to find victims with their faces missing. Their faces hanging off. People were just screaming in pain.

Then I saw my best friend. The acid had affected her whole face and her eye. She couldn't see.

I knew it was acid, but she didn't. I had to sit there and tell her to keep dousing herself in water.
That night is hard for me. Everything is that crystal clear - and it is sad. I would never wish that situation on anyone, and I wouldn't wish to go through that again.

It has definitely changed me. Before the attack I was really outgoing. I still am - and to a certain extent I would like to think that I haven't let this affect me - but there are moments when I cry or get angry. There was no reason for the attack.

It has affected my actions and thoughts on a daily basis. When I get on the Tube or a fight breaks out, or someone throws a drink, the first thing that goes through my head is: are they carrying acid? Are they going to throw acid?

I have been left with a fear of the unknown, and a fear of people I don't know.

The sentence given to Arthur Collins sets a standard - but whether justice has been served, I don't know.

Source:Skynews