England cricket: Ben Stokes ‘abused gay men’, court hears

Two days after inspiring England to victory over India in the first Test at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes stood in the dock to answer charges of affray.

The well publicised incident - which led to the all-rounder missing the winter Ashes series against Australia - occurred outside Mbargo nightclub in Bristol on 25 September last year. Stokes, along with several of his England teammates, was celebrating a one-day victory over the West Indies earlier in the day.

But on the opening day of the trial, which is expected to last most of the week - thereby ruling Stokes out of the second Test at Lord’s that starts on Thursday - the court heard that the evening turned sour shortly after midnight.

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Refused entry

Along with his two fellow defendants, Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali, Stokes listened as Nicholas Corsellis for the prosecution described the chain of events.

Having been denied entry to the nightclub by a doorman, Andrew Cunningham, Stokes offered him £300 to change his mind. When Cunningham refused the money, Stokes told the doorman his gold front teeth “make you look like a c***”.

He then allegedly started abusing Kai Barry and William O’Connor, two men described by the court as “flamboyant, extrovert and openly gay young men”, as they left the nightclub. Stokes is said to have imitated the pair in a “derogatory way” before allegedly flicking his cigarette butt at O’Connor’s head.

Charges across the road

A few minutes later Ali and Hale left the club and exchanged words with the two gay men and the court heard that CCTV footage “appeared to show Mr Barry touching Mr Ali inappropriately in the groin area”. A short while later violence erupted as Stokes “charges across the road” and attacks Mr Ali and Hale.

More CCTV footage showed Ali holding a bottle in the air “and motioning as if he was going to hit Mr Stokes”. In fact he caught Barry a glancing blow and in the next instant Stokes leapt on Ali and “tried to punch him in the face”.

At this point Hale joined the fracas, as did Stokes’s teammate, Alex Hales, who tried to drag his friend away.

‘I’ve had enough’

The court heard evidence from a local resident, Laura Sweeney, who was woken by a cry of “stop, please stop, I’ve had enough now”.

She said she saw Hale lying in the road, although moments later he allegedly rejoined the fight holding part of a road sign as a weapon.

In a prepared written statement Stokes said that he and Alex Hales had been walking towards a casino when the trouble started. Seeing two other men [Hale and Ali] talking in a homophobic manner to two other men he told them: “You shouldn’t be taking the piss because they’re gay.”

Stokes added that a man holding the beer bottle told him “shut up or I’ll bottle you”, so he grabbed his arms. He then feared he was going to be attacked by the second man so hit him “more than once” because he “felt under threat of imminent attack”.

According to The Sun Stokes “allegedly knocked Hale unconscious before doing the same to Ali - fracturing his eye socket”.

No one is above the law

The Times reports that Judge Peter Blair asked potential jurors if they were “extremely committed” cricket fans or had an “extreme passion” for the sport.

While prosecutor Corsellis warned: “Ben Stokes is a professional cricket player who has reached the very top of his profession and has represented his country.

“It almost goes without saying, but past success, fame or good deeds does not, cannot, absolve you from duty and the law to behave yourself. The law and court favour no person and judge everybody equally.”

The trial continues.