The CPS decide what charges they think will get a convictions. From what I've seen (only the video clips) it would look more like ABH than GBH, but certainly more than affray.
The CPS wanted to add charges of ABH and GBH to the charge of affray on the opening day of the trial but the judge told them it was too late as they had had months to prepare their case. May have been a different story.
Feel for the man. Worked with the ECB last winter and sponsors dropped Stokes like a hot potato. Adverts were being redisigned without Stokes in, and he lost a fortune before he was even found guilty. Speaking from personal experience it is a terrible experience that both yourself and more importantly your family have to go through, waiting many months for the court case. You really do get to know whom your friends are in dark times like these, as you spend many days and nights sole searching, trying to save your relationship, people judging you. The relief he must be feeling right now is huge, but emotionally I will garuntee that he is absolutely exhausted. The CPS make some strange decisions and once again speaking from experience it costs a lot time,energy in which ages you very quickly and puts a lot of strains in your life.
Feel for the man. Worked with the ECB last winter and sponsors dropped Stokes like a hot potato. Adverts were being redisigned without Stokes in, and he lost a fortune before he was even found guilty. Speaking from personal experience it is a terrible experience that both yourself and more importantly your family have to go through, waiting many months for the court case. You really do get to know whom your friends are in dark times like these, as you spend many days and nights sole searching, trying to save your relationship, people judging you. The relief he must be feeling right now is huge, but emotionally I will garuntee that he is absolutely exhausted. The CPS make some strange decisions and once again speaking from experience it costs a lot time,energy in which ages you very quickly and puts a lot of strains in your life.
I don't feel that much sympathy myself. He might be innocent of affray, but it's not as if he's come out of the case completely vindicated, he's hardly an innocent victim here.
Along the lines that perhaps a professional sportsman shouldn't be out at 3am having consumed quite a bit of alcohol. Not saying the players can't go out at all.....but to niteclubs at that time ?
In particular, it explains why Stokes gave testimony in the exact way that he did, he made direct reference to being under threat and fearing for his safety - obviously knowing this was the key to beating the charge.
I guess that will make the rather large legal bill coming his way a tad less painful.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
The two gay men whom both sides said they were protecting have come out and backed the stokes version
He gave a fella a clump who got sparko and then lumped the other one
So what it wasn’t a random act of gratuitous violence it was an act of self defense and coming to the aid of some people who obviously couldn’t defend themselves against two homophobic bullies
Sometimes there’s a right time to throw a left or right hook and this was it as proven by the jury
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
I'd have thought Stokes trod a very fine line indeed. I know of two lads jailed for 52 months for a punch up. First offence, injured party with similar injuries to Stoke's victim. They were charged with GBH and affray.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
Wow. Just wow.
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
Wow. Just wow.
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
And I know a very passive fella who was put in a coma because he took the decision to not stand up for himself, and didn't fight back. There are always consequences in any violent confrontation, but sometimes you have to man up and do what you think is right.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
Wow. Just wow.
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
And I know a very passive fella who was put in a coma because he took the decision to stand up for himself, and didn't fight back. There are always consequences in any violent confrontation, but sometimes you have to man up and do what you think is right.
Not sure I quite follow: “he took the decision to stand up for himself, and didn't fight back.”
Feel for the man. Worked with the ECB last winter and sponsors dropped Stokes like a hot potato. Adverts were being redisigned without Stokes in, and he lost a fortune before he was even found guilty. Speaking from personal experience it is a terrible experience that both yourself and more importantly your family have to go through, waiting many months for the court case. You really do get to know whom your friends are in dark times like these, as you spend many days and nights sole searching, trying to save your relationship, people judging you. The relief he must be feeling right now is huge, but emotionally I will garuntee that he is absolutely exhausted. The CPS make some strange decisions and once again speaking from experience it costs a lot time,energy in which ages you very quickly and puts a lot of strains in your life.
I don't have much sympathy for Stokes really. I'm with you on the CPS being utterly useless and dragging the whole thing on for ever, but how many times has he found himself in trouble thanks to his binge drinking behaviour and the temper he can barely control? He either refuses to, or is incapable of learning a lesson.
It's only good fortune that the bloke he put spark out didn't smash his head on the deck and sustain a much more serious, possibly fatal injury.
He shouldn't have put himself in the situation in the first place - I very much doubt he will again after this very sobering experience for him.
Having said that, the two blokes he was defending made it clear that he was intervening on their behalf and I don't think he should be criticised for acting on instinct under the circumstances and doing the right thing IMHO. On a side note, he looks like a tough individual and it appears that he walks the walk in that respect. Long term this might even increase the intimidation factor on the cricket pitch and work in his favour; I mean, he was attacked by two armed men and punched both their lights out. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his fast deliveries, either on the pitch or off it! Overall, though, he will be wishing that he never went out that night, that's for sure.
I expect some sort of charge for bringing the game into disrepute; this is unarguable given the publicity etc. involved with the case IMHO. It just remains to be seen whether he gets extra punishment on top of the grilling that he has been under for the last few months and on this people will disagree.
Standing up for yourself and others is commendable enough, punching two guys lights out less so. Without knowing exactly what escalated things to throwing punches I can't really judge him either way but I personally feel violence should only ever be a last resort not the first response. (which may or may not have been the case here.)
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
Wow. Just wow.
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
And I know a very passive fella who was put in a coma because he took the decision to stand up for himself, and didn't fight back. There are always consequences in any violent confrontation, but sometimes you have to man up and do what you think is right.
Not sure I quite follow: “he took the decision to stand up for himself, and didn't fight back.”
Ahh, should have even NOT to fight back, but Im sure you knew. Edited.
Standing up for yourself and others is commendable enough, punching two guys lights out less so. Without knowing exactly what escalated things to throwing punches I can't really judge him either way but I personally feel violence should only ever be a last resort not the first response. (which may or may not have been the case here.)
Only those involved I suppose really know what happened. Hopefully no repeat in the future.
Bottom line is that Ben Stokes is a very, very lucky boy indeed.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
Lucky.......what! So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY! Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
Wow. Just wow.
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
</blockquote But that didn’t happen.....so you are simply hyping things up for some strange reason. The guy was found not guilty.....you seem to have a problem with that and I am suspecting only a guilty verdict would have pleased you. Is that correct?
As a cricket fan I'm still gutted that he got into this situation by being pissed and then couldn't control himself which resulted in him missing the Ashes.
The heroic straight man protecting two gay guys, LOL Shame it wasn't Gareth Thomas and male friend who could look after their selves.
Stokes has issues, a few years back he damaged his hand by punching a locker and missed test matches.
With his personality trait, he shouldn't drink period. I wondered how many other times he had episodes that weren't reported because he wasn't famous back in his teenage days.
Comments
You really do get to know whom your friends are in dark times like these, as you spend many days and nights sole searching, trying to save your relationship, people judging you.
The relief he must be feeling right now is huge, but emotionally I will garuntee that he is absolutely exhausted.
The CPS make some strange decisions and once again speaking from experience it costs a lot time,energy in which ages you very quickly and puts a lot of strains in your life.
In particular, it explains why Stokes gave testimony in the exact way that he did, he made direct reference to being under threat and fearing for his safety - obviously knowing this was the key to beating the charge.
I guess that will make the rather large legal bill coming his way a tad less painful.
The footage was shocking and it's only by pure luck that he didn't seriously injure the bloke he knocked out - and it could have been even worse than that.
He has been found Not Guilty and the verdict has to be respected but he should never be putting himself in that position in the first place.
Sure, there will always be the neanderthal fringe who think it's a great laugh to be swinging drunken punches at strangers in the early hours of the morning but the Vice Captain of the England cricket team should most certainly not be in their number.
So not unlucky to have been dragged through the courts, lost many thousands of pounds in advertising endorsements, missed at least one test match and possibly two, had his life turned upside down and all for something he didn’t do.....as in FOUND NOT GUILTY!
Yeah Ormiston......a very very lucky boy indeed.
The two gay men whom both sides said they were protecting have come out and backed the stokes version
He gave a fella a clump who got sparko and then lumped the other one
So what it wasn’t a random act of gratuitous violence it was an act of self defense and coming to the aid of some people who obviously couldn’t defend themselves against two homophobic bullies
Sometimes there’s a right time to throw a left or right hook and this was it as proven by the jury
No luck required
The bigger video of matey swinging some object towards the other group says it all in my eyes.
Deserved move on
You are aware I hope that people are often killed by a single punch to the head?
David Hookes, former Australian Test batsman, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in 2004.
When Stokes - a powerful professional athlete - threw those punches he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be, nobody ever does.
I have no sympathy for the man for what he has been through, he is grown man and made all the choices that got him into the mess he got into.
Believe me, I know a man whose young son was killed in a one-punch attack just like the one Stokes was involved in, it wrecked so many lives.
Sorry if you can’t see how serious these things can be and think Stokes is hard done by for losing a few quid but it could have been a lot, lot worse.
There are always consequences in any violent confrontation, but sometimes you have to man up and do what you think is right.
It's only good fortune that the bloke he put spark out didn't smash his head on the deck and sustain a much more serious, possibly fatal injury.
Maybe a kick in the wallet will wake him up.
Having said that, the two blokes he was defending made it clear that he was intervening on their behalf and I don't think he should be criticised for acting on instinct under the circumstances and doing the right thing IMHO. On a side note, he looks like a tough individual and it appears that he walks the walk in that respect. Long term this might even increase the intimidation factor on the cricket pitch and work in his favour; I mean, he was attacked by two armed men and punched both their lights out. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his fast deliveries, either on the pitch or off it! Overall, though, he will be wishing that he never went out that night, that's for sure.
I expect some sort of charge for bringing the game into disrepute; this is unarguable given the publicity etc. involved with the case IMHO. It just remains to be seen whether he gets extra punishment on top of the grilling that he has been under for the last few months and on this people will disagree.
As a cricket fan I'm still gutted that he got into this situation by being pissed and then couldn't control himself which resulted in him missing the Ashes.
The heroic straight man protecting two gay guys, LOL
Shame it wasn't Gareth Thomas and male friend who could look after their selves.
Stokes has issues, a few years back he damaged his hand by punching a locker and missed test matches.
With his personality trait, he shouldn't drink period.
I wondered how many other times he had episodes that weren't reported because he wasn't famous back in his teenage days.
An evening in Bristol and NO cider, disgraceful