Man who bottled teen outside nightclub given stark warning
THE lowest tide of the year has exposed the remains of a 173ft ship almost 110 years to the day after it was wrecked on a Cornish beach during a storm.
The three-masted Swedish barque Trifolium was swept onto the rocks at Gwynver Beach near Land’s End on March 15, 1914, after battling a storm off the coast for four days.
More than a century later, the jagged, twisted metal of the shipwreck can often be seen sticking out of the water at low tide, however, the extreme spring tides completely exposed the iron remains at Gwynver, meaning it was possible to walk around them. »»A COLLECTION of 25 small paintings by Yolande Armstrong will be on display at Daisy Laing Gallery in Penzance until Monday.
The works explore the strangeness and warmth of human beings, their closeness to others and also their loneliness. They are a celebration of the rich ferment of thoughts and feelings behind our gestures and body language.
Yolande is an established Penzance artist, an acrylic painter and previously chair of Newlyn Society of Artists.
The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm.
ASadly, five of the 11 crew of the Trifolium were lost when it was wrecked, including the captain. Of the six men who survived, four managed to drag themselves ashore, whilst the other two were saved by a member of the coastguard and a local fisherman.
MAN who bottled a teenager outside a Penzance nightclub during a drunken incident has been told he would now be facing a lengthy prison sentence had his victim died.
Jeremi Kingston-Stevens, 26, of Berry Road, Newquay, appeared before Truro Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, March 21, having pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm without intent.
Michael Green, prosecuting, said Kingston-Stevens was confronted by the victim outside The Venue in Market Place, Penzance, on June 3, 2022. Words were exchanged between the two during a drunken confrontation. CCTV footage of the incident played in court showed the teen crossing the road three times to have words with Kingston-Stevens.
The two can be seen arguing and then Kingston-Stevens pushes his victim away before suddenly striking him to the side of the head with a bottle.
The youngster can then be seen collapsing to the floor and hitting his head on the ground. The 18-year-old at the time lost consciousness. He was later found to have a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain after being taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro where he remained for two days amid concerns he might suffer seizures.
The court heard how the single blow could have had far greater consequences had the victim died, with Recorder John Trevaskis telling dad-of-two Kingston-Stevens he could easily have been facing what is known as a “one-punch manslaughter” charge.
It was heard that Kingston-Stevens, who holds two jobs, had been out with his partner and some friends and had drunk seven pints of ale. There was some dispute with the teen who was alleged to have started an argument with Kingston-Stevens’ partner.
Devon and Cornwall Police reviewed the CCTV and later identified and arrested Kingston-Stevens. The court also heard how he claimed to have hit his victim with his fist having forgotten he had a bottle in his hand until he was shown the CCTV footage which showed otherwise.
His solicitor told the court: “While there can never be an excuse for hitting someone on the head with a bottle, this is a case that for whatever reason the complainant made three approaches to the defendant and the people he was with. The defendant attempted to push the complainant away a couple of times but when the complainant became quite persistent he hit him. This is an explanation, not an excuse.
“He has now moved on in the last 23 months. He is in a stable relationship and has two young children and holds two jobs to support his family.”
Recorder Trevaskis said it was a case of people leaving a bar or nightclub in a state of intoxication and deciding to congregate and have arguments.
Sentencing Kingston-Stevens, who had seven previous convictions for 39 offences including battery, affray, assaulting a police officer and arson, Recorder Trevaskis told Kingston-Stevens: “You have been in a lot of trouble over the years and this offence is among the most serious of your offending.
“There is no doubt that the complainant was an active participant in the events that led to the injury he sustained. You struck him to the head with a bottle you forgot you had in your hand, which I find difficult to accept.
“This sort of incident very commonly results in convictions of what is known as ‘one punch manslaughter.’ We would now be talking about how long you would be going to prison if that had been the case.”
Kingston-Stevens was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years.
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This sort of incident very commonly results in convictions of what is known as ‘one punch manslaughter’
Recorder John Trevaskis