Stokes admits to ‘memory blackout’
BRISTOL: England cricketer Ben Stokes agreed he had a ‘significant memory blackout’ over a street brawl but told a court on Friday he was ‘absolutely not’ an angry man who had lost all control.
Stokes and Ryan Ali, both 27, are being tried for affray over a brawl that erupted in Bristol, southwest England, in the early hours of September 25 last year.
The cricketer faced cross-examination from prosecutor Nicholas Corsellis on the fifth day of the trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Stokes said he intervened because Ali and his friend Ryan Hale had directed alleged homophobic abuse at gay men William O’connor and Kai Barry as they walked away from Mbargo nightclub.
He could not recall what was said, but “I am very clear that the words that were used were homophobic”, he told the court.
Corsellis asked Stokes if he had a “significant memory blackout” from the night in question. The sportsman replied: “You could say that, yes.”
Stokes went out celebrating after beating the West Indies in a match in
September 24.
Stokes said he would have had a bottle of beer after the match, two or three pints at the hotel, five or six vodka and lemonades and then “potentially had some Jaegerbombs” in Mbargo.
The prosecutor asked: “You don’t really remember significant parts of this incident, for example knocking Mr Ali out? Is that because you were really very drunk?”
Stokes replied: “No. I think the whole incident would have been clouded because it was such... there was a lot of people around... a lot of shouting.”
He added: “It’s clearly in my statements that I admit to throwing multiple punches.”
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