Stephen Tompkinson trial: Actor ‘punched drunken man’ and ’caused traumatic brain injuries’, court told

Published

2 years ago

May 3, 2023

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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.

“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.

UK

Post Office scandal: Daughter has had ‘panic attacks’ since mum was accused of stealing

Published

44 mins ago

July 8, 2025

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Post Office scandal: Daughter has had 'panic attacks' since mum was accused of stealing

The daughter of a Post Office victim has told Sky News she suffered “dark thoughts of suicide” in the years after her mother was accused of stealing.

Kate Burrows was 14 years old when her mother, Elaine Hood, was prosecuted and subsequently convicted in 2003.

The first public inquiry report on the Post Office – examining redress and the “human impact” of the scandal – is due to be published today.

“I’ve suffered with panic attacks from about 14, 15 years old, and I still have them to this day,” Kate said.

“I’ve been in and out of therapy for what feels like most of my adult life and it absolutely categorically goes back to [what happened].”

Kate, along with others, helped set up the charity Lost Chances, supporting the children of Post Office victims. She hopes the inquiry will recognise their suffering.

“It’s important that our voices are heard,” she said. “Not only within the report, but in law actually.

“And then maybe that would be a deterrent for any future cover-ups, that it’s not just the one person it’s the whole family [affected].”

Her sister, Rebecca Richards, who was 18 when their mother was accused, described how an eating disorder “escalated” after what happened.

“When my mum was going through everything, my only control of that situation was what food I put in my body,” she said.

She also said that seeing her mother at court when she was convicted, would “stay with me forever”.

“The two investigators were sat in front of my dad and I, sniggering and saying ‘we’ve got this one’.

“To watch my mum in the docks handcuffed to a guard… not knowing if she was going to be coming home… that is the most standout memory for me.”

The sisters are hoping the inquiry findings will push Fujitsu into fulfilling a promise they made nearly a year ago – to try and help the children of victims.

Last summer, Kate met with the European boss of the company, Paul Patterson, who said he would look at ways they could support Lost Chances.

Despite appearing at the inquiry in November last year and saying he would not “stay silent” on the issue, Kate said there has been little movement in terms of support.

“It’s very much a line of ‘we’re going to wait until the end of the inquiry report to decide’,” she said.

“But Mr Patterson met us in person, looked us in the eye, and we shared the most deeply personal stories and he said we will do something… they need to make a difference.”

Fujitsu, who developed the faulty Horizon software, has said it is in discussions with the government regarding a contribution to compensation.

The inquiry will delve in detail into redress schemes, of which four exist, three controlled by the government and one by the Post Office.

Victims of the scandal say they are hoping Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the inquiry, will recommend that the government and the Post Office are removed from the redress schemes as thousands still wait for full and fair redress.

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said they were “grateful” for the inquiry’s work, describing “the immeasurable suffering” victims endured and saying the government has “quadrupled the total amount paid to affected postmasters”, with more than £1bn having now been paid to thousands of claimants.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

UK

Drones are sending ‘overwhelming amounts’ of drugs into prisons – and could help inmates escape, report warns

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2025

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Drones are sending 'overwhelming amounts' of drugs into prisons - and could help inmates escape, report warns

Sophisticated drones sending “overwhelming amounts” of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog.

HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a “vulnerable and bored” prison population.

The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold “the most dangerous men in the country”, including terrorists.

Mr Taylor said “the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace” above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the “safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public”.

“The possibility now whereby we’re seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available,” he said. “Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine.”

“Drone technology is moving fast… there is a level of risk that’s posed by drones that I think is different from what we’ve seen in the past,” warned the chief inspector – who also said there’s a “theoretical risk” that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone.

He urged the prison service to “get a grip” of the issue, stating: “We’d like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn’t materialise.”

The report makes clear that physical security – such as netting, windows and CCTV – is “inadequate” in some jails, including Manchester, with “inexperienced staff” being “manipulated”.

Mr Taylor said there are “basic” measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, “so we don’t get packages disguised as things like astro turf”.

Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: “The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation.”

Mr Taylor’s report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a “major issue”, with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity.

Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate.

Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently.

“Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives.”

The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces.

Those measures won’t come into effect until spring 2026.

Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor’s findings show “the scale of the crisis” the government “inherited”, with “prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence”.

He said: “After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we’re building 14,000 extra – with 2,400 already delivered – and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.

“We’re also investing £40m to bolster security, alongside stepping up cooperation with police to combat drones and stop the contraband which fuels violence behind bars.”