Stephen Tompkinson trial: Actor ‘punched drunken man’ and ’caused traumatic brain injuries’, court told
Actor Stephen Tompkinson slapped and punched a man who was drunk and making noise outside his home, leaving him with traumatic brain injuries, a court has heard.
The 57-year-old, best known for shows including Ballykissangel and DCI Banks, is on trial at Newcastle Crown Court accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm in the early hours of 30 May 2021.
Tompkinson denies the charge and previously told police he acted in self-defence.
On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Michael Bunch told the jury that police were made aware of an incident when Tompkinson called at about 5.30am to report two drunken men outside his house in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside.
The actor told officers he had taken a bottle of Jagermeister from the pair and wanted them “moved on”, the court was told.
About half an hour later, emergency services received a call from neighbour Caroline Davidson, who said she watched the incident from her bedroom window. She reported that one of the two men, Karl Poole, was lying unconscious in the street.
Mrs Davidson later told officers she saw Tompkinson slap Mr Poole with his right hand before punching his head with his left fist. Mr Poole stumbled and fell backwards, striking his head, she said.
Mr Poole and his friend Andrew Hall had been drinking since about midnight and were walking back to Mr Hall’s house from the beach, passing Tompkinson’s home on the way, Mr Bunch told the court.
The noise of the two men “laughing and carrying on” woke Mrs Davidson, who looked out of her window to see them lying on a path near Tompkinson’s home.
“She could see that one, later found to be Mr Poole, had on only his underpants, with a towel lying on the path next to him,” the prosecutor said.
Mrs Davidson went back to bed but looked out her window again when she heard another voice about five minutes later, the court heard. She then saw the defendant standing on his driveway speaking to the two men.
Tompkinson pictured in 2018
“Although she could not hear what her neighbour was saying, Mrs Davidson formed the view, from his hand gestures, that [Tompkinson] was telling the two men to get on their way,” Mr Bunch said.
“It appeared that one of the men said something back and Mrs Davidson saw her neighbour draw back his fist, before apparently thinking better of it and lowering his hand.
“The two men, who were obviously heavily drunk, tried to get to their feet, but Mr Poole could hardly stay upright, and Mr Hall had to help him keep his feet.
“The two made their way a short distance before stopping, possibly because the defendant had said something further to them.
“Mrs Davidson watched as the defendant approached the two men, who were wobbling from side to side. The defendant first slapped Mr Poole with his right hand before punching him to the head with his left fist.
“Mr Poole stumbled and then fell backwards striking his head on the roadway, where he lay unconscious. Concerned for what she had seen, Mrs Davidson asked her husband to call the ambulance service.”
Tompkinson then used his phone to record clips of the two men, but did not contact paramedics himself, the court heard.
Actor claimed he acted in self-defence
Jurors were told that after being taken to hospital, Mr Poole was found to have a fractured skull and significant traumatic brain injuries.
Following his arrest, Tompkinson told officers he had gone outside to ask the men to move away so as not to disturb his partner and her child, who were asleep, Mr Bunch said.
He said he acted in self-defence as the men had become “aggressive”.
However, the allegation of aggressive behaviour by the two men “is simply not supported by any of the evidence in the case”, Mr Bunch claimed.
“The truth is that the defendant’s story is nothing more than a weak attempt by him to deflect blame on to others for what were his wholly unjustified aggressive actions towards Mr Poole,” he added.
Tompkinson rose to fame starring as Father Peter Clifford in Ballykissangel from 1996 to 1998 and also appeared in the hit 1996 film Brassed Off alongside Ewan McGregor and the late Pete Postlethwaite, after his breakthrough role in political satire Drop The Dead Donkey early in the 1990s.
He starred as DCI Alan Banks in ITV’s DCI Banks from 2010 to 2016, with other TV credits including Wild At Heart, Minder, New Tricks and The Bay.
The trial continues.
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
UK
Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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British Steel: What happens next?
Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.
Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.
“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”
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