Stokes ‘mocked gay man’
JURY TOLD CRICKET STAR KNOCKED PAIR UNCONSCIOUS IN FIGHT NEAR NIGHTCLUB
Durham and England cricketer Ben Stokes mocked a gay man and threw a cigarette butt at his head before knocking two men unconscious in a fight outside a nightclub in Bristol, a jury heard.
The 27-year-old all-rounder is accused of punching Ryan Hale, 27, to the ground and then allegedly knocking out Ryan Ali, 28, a short time later.
Stokes, Hale and Ali are jointly accused of affray – a charge they all deny – and are on trial at Bristol Crown Court.
The charges relate to an altercation in the Clifton Triangle area of the city on September 25, 2017 shortly after 2am, after the three defendants left the Mbargo nightclub.
Nicholas Corsellis, prosecuting, described Stokes as being “provocative and offensive” and in an “angry state of mind” before the alleged fight.
The sportsman had been in Bristol, staying in a hotel with the England cricket team, and was in the Mbargo nightclub from about 11.30pm on September 24.
He left the club with teammate Alex Hales at 12.46am, with the pair returning and trying to re-enter at 2.08am.
Jurors were told Mbargo, as part of its licencing conditions, is unable to allow entry to additional customers after 2am and so the two cricketers were turned away.
Stokes offered door supervisor Andrew Cunningham £60, then £300, for entry, and became abusive when this was refused, the court heard.
Two gay men, Kai Barry and William O’Connor, emerged from the nightclub and began talking to Stokes and Mr Hales.
Mr Corsellis told the jury: “Mr Cunningham observed Mr Stokes’s behaviour towards them.
“He noted that he was mimicking their voices and mannerisms in what he described as ‘a derogatory way’, thereby making fun of their camp behaviour.
“The CCTV footage, which does not have audio, suggests that sort of behaviour did take place, with Mr Stokes copying hand gestures made by the men.”
CCTV footage shows Ali and Hale leaving the nightclub at 2.23am and engaging in conversation with Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor.
It also shows Stokes and Mr Hales catch up with Ali, Hale, Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor as they stand on Queens Road.
Mr Corsellis told jurors it would be an issue for them to decide whether the interaction between the men had simply been “banter or something more sinister”.
Onlythedefendantsknow precisely how the fight started and it could have “stopped very quickly”, he claimed.
“But during the incident Mr Stokes lost his control and started to attack with revenge, retaliation or punishment in mind, well beyond acting in self-defence or defence of another,” Mr Corsellis said.
“He knocked Mr Hale un- conscious and then – after time to pause for thought, to calm – he did exactly the same to Mr Ali.
“Mr Ali received significant injuries, including a fractured eye socket, and required hospital treatment.”
Mr Corsellis described the incident as “a sustained episode of significant violence that left onlookers shocked”.
He said Ali used a bottle at the beginning, with Hale bringing a street sign in at the end.
Stokes, of Stockton Road, Castle Eden, Durham; Ali, of Forest Road, Bristol; and Hale, of Burghill Road, Westburyon-Trym, Bristol, are on bail.