BEN STOKES TRIAL Jury finds Ben Stokes not guilty of affray by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Ben Stokes had been arrested on charges of affray after an incident outside a Bristol bar last year © Getty After a week of court proceedings, Ben Stokes has been found not guilty of affray, by the jury, unanimously and subsequently added to England's squad for the third Test against India. The England all-rounder had been arrested on the suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and charged with affray following an incident outside a nightclub named Mbargo in Bristol last September, which left one man in the hospital. After playing a pivotal role in England's victory at Edgbaston, the trial caused Stokes to miss the comprehensive victory over India at Lord's which gave England a 2-0 lead in the five match series. Shortly after that victory in the capital, the ECB announced that he had been left out of the squad for the third game in Nottingham, pending the outcome of the trial at Bristol Crown Court. Following the jury's decision, the ECB have now confirmed that Stokes has been added to England's squad for the Trent Bridge Test, starting on August 18, although it remains to be seen whether he will be included in the final eleven after the impressive showings of Chris Woakes and Sam Curran so far this series. The ECB also confirmed that the Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) will begin their disciplinary process against Stokes, and Alex Hales who was also involved in the incident last year. An ECB Spokesperson said: "Now that the legal proceedings have concluded, the disciplinary process for Ben Stokes and Alex Hales can be scheduled by the Cricket Discipline Commission [CDC]. "Ben Stokes will now join the England squad for the 3rd Specsavers Test against India, which starts at Trent Bridge on Saturday. "Considerable detail has been heard in this week-long court case and, in due course, there will be a range of matters for the Board to fully consider." Given that Stokes has already missed five Test matches, seven ODIs and four T20Is as a result of a suspension imposed in the immediate aftermath of the incident, it could have a bearing on any penalties handed out by the CDC. Hales missed two ODIs, also at the end of the West Indies series, before returning to the ODI squad for the five-match series against Australia at the start of the year. The CDC, as an independent body, will be in no rush to set a date for the hearing. Stokes would have almost certainly faced a lengthy ban had he been found guilty of the affray charge, which might have seen him miss next summer's World Cup and Ashes series. The ECB themselves will launch an employment review and there is a chance he will miss the winter tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies. The trial at the Bristol Crown Court began on August 6, and saw Stokes being branded as the main aggressor in the events that unfolded last year, and was said to have acted out of spite. As the trial went on, there were accusations that he lied to the jury and exaggerated his version of the story to justify his behaviour. Stokes remained defiant and reiterated that he threw punches at Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale in an act of self-defence. In his closing statements in court, Stokes's barrister Gordon Cole stated that all the evidence presented against Stokes were ambiguous and even shifted focus to England teammate Alex Hales. "You will see Mr Hales on one occasion appearing to kick. So, when the prosecution seeks to hang all the blame at Ben Stokes's door by saying he rendered people unconscious, just look at what happened. "Think about kicks and stamps. Does it follow that all of these injuries are properly attributed to Ben Stokes? We say no. We say that the evidence is ambiguous," he had said. Ryan Ali, who was also charged with affray, has also been acquitted. © Cricbuzz<doc-sep>England cricketer Ben Stokes has been cleared of affray over a nightclub brawl that saw him knock a man unconscious. The 27-year-old all-rounder punched Ryan Hale, 27, to the ground and then knocked out Ryan Ali, 28, during the fracas in the early hours of 25 September last year in Bristol city centre. Mr Stokes said he was acting in self-defence when he punched the two friends hours after England played the West Indies in a one-day international in the city. ✕ Ben Stokes arrest footage released by police Following a seven-day trial, the jury at Bristol Crown Court took under three hours to acquit Mr Stokes and co-accused Mr Ali of affray. The pair shook hands as they left the dock. Mr Stokes’ wife Clare cried as the verdicts were returned while the cricketer closed his eyes with relief and then looked up. After being acquitted, Mr Stokes thanked his wife, family, friends and teammates for their “unerring” support during “an 11-month ordeal”. “In addition to the extreme stress placed on Ben and his family by the trial, his intervention that night has already cost Ben the England vice-captaincy, his place on an Ashes tour and his place on a number of other England matches,” Mr Stokes’s solicitor Paul Lunt said. “The past 11 months have served to highlight to Ben just how highly he values his position as an England representative, both in terms of the privilege that role entails and the responsibilities that accompany it. “Now that the trial is over, Ben is keen to get back to cricket being his sole focus,” Mr Lunt said. Tony Miles, the solicitor for Mr Ali and Mr Hale, said: “Both our clients are delighted it’s all over. They just want to get on with their lives.” Meanwhile, England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow said he hopes to see Stokes return to international duty soon following his acquittal. He said: “Obviously I’m really happy that the verdict has come out as it has, for English cricket. It is big for him. It has been a long 10 months for him and his family. “Those kind of ordeals are something that haven’t been taken lightly. I’m delighted and hopefully we can see him back in an England shirt very, very soon.” Mr Stokes missed the second Test against India at Lords, but since the verdict, the England and Wales Cricket Board has added him to the squad for the third Test, beginning on Saturday. An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson said: “Now that the legal proceedings have concluded, the disciplinary process for Ben Stokes and Alex Hales can be scheduled by the Cricket Discipline Commission. “Ben Stokes will now join the England squad for the third Specsavers Test against India, which starts at Trent Bridge on Saturday. “We saw the impact he had at Edgbaston only a couple of weeks ago in the first Test match”. During the six-day trial, the court heard Mr Stokes had “lost control” in “a sustained episode of significant violence”. The prosecution said he was “drunk and enraged”, but Mr Stokes denied this and said he had “stepped in” to defend two gay men who were being subjected to verbal abuse. Ryan Ali leaving Bristol Crown Court where he and England cricketer Ben Stokes have been found not guilty of affray (PA) The court heard how the night began with Mr Stokes and other England players, including James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball and Alex Hales, taking taxis into Bristol city centre. Mr Stokes had had “at least 10 drinks” in the hours before the incident, which included a bottle of beer, two or three pints of lager, five or six vodka and lemonades and some Jagerbombs. He was accused of being “actually really very drunk”. Meanwhile Mr Ali had drunk six or seven Jack Daniels and Cokes during his night out with Mr Hale. Much of the incident and the buildup was captured on CCTV cameras located around the Clifton Triangle area – a popular nightspot in Bristol. Ben Stokes with his injuries after the fight (PA) Mbargo doorman Andrew Cunningham, 37, alleged he was offered £300 by Mr Stokes to let him and Mr Hales back into the nightclub. Mr Cunningham accused Mr Stokes of getting “verbally abusive”, saying the cricketer told him he had “s***t tattoos” and that his gold teeth made him look like a “c***”. He said Mr Stokes was mimicking the mannerisms and voices of two gay men, William O’Connor and Kai Barry, outside the club but the cricketer insisted they were exchanging “banter” about his expensive white leather shoes. Mr Stokes said he could not remember flicking his cigarette butt towards the gay men or directing a V-sign at Mr Cunningham. The two cricketers left Mbargo and were looking for a casino when the violence erupted shortly after 2.30am in Queen’s Road. Both Mr Stokes and Mr Ali claim they were acting in self-defence and blamed each other for being the aggressor. Mr Stokes maintained he heard best friends Mr Ali and Mr Hale direct homophobic abuse at Mr O’Connor and Mr Barry – but was unable to say what those words were. And when he intervened, telling the pair: “You shouldn’t be taking the piss because they are gay,” Mr Stokes said Mr Ali replied: “Shut the f*** up or I’ll bottle you.” He described his co-accused as “aggressive and violent” towards himself, Mr Hales, Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor and denied he had “overexaggerated the exchange” in order to “justify his own violent behaviour”. Mr Ali told jurors the England cricketer “was very angry and looking for someone to pick on” and said that deciding to use a bottle as a weapon would be a “difficult decision for me to take”. “I would have to perceive a significant threat to do that. I can hear myself saying ‘move away’,” he said. Ryan Ali with his injuries after the fight (PA) CCTV footage shows Mr Ali waving a bottle towards Mr Hales before delivering a glancing blow to the shoulder of Mr Barry. “As soon as I see Mr Ali swing the bottle and physically hit them that’s when I took the decision to get involved,” Mr Stokes said. “I was trying to stop Mr Ali doing damage to anybody with a glass bottle.” Mr Stokes and Mr Ali tussled and fell to the floor and when the sportsman got back to his feet Mr Hale was standing in front of him. “I felt under threat by these two and felt I had to do whatever it was to keep myself and others around me safe,” Mr Stokes told the court. Mr Hales tries to grab Mr Stokes, repeatedly begging his teammate to stop, telling him “Stokes, Stokes, that’s enough”. When asked if he had become “enraged” at any point during the incident, Mr Stokes replied that it was a “difficult question to answer”. The 6ft 2in cricketer added: “I didn’t know they could be carrying more weapons on them. “They could decide to attack me at any time if I was to turn my back on either of these two. At all times I felt under threat from these two.” Mr Hales, who was interviewed under caution but never arrested in relation to the incident, was seen on the CCTV stamping and kicking Mr Ali in the head as he lay on the floor. Witnesses described seeing a group of men acting like “football hooligans” and dialled 999. Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Show all 11 1 /11 Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Cricketer Ben Stokes with his injuries after a fight that took place near a nightclub in Bristol last year. Stokes, 27, has been found not guilty of affray by a jury at Bristol Crown Court following a brawl hours after England played the West Indies in a one-day international in the city in September last year Avon and Somerset Police/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ben Stokes with his injuries after a fight that took place near a nightclub in Bristol Avon and Somerset Police/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ben Stokes with his injuries after a fight that took place near a nightclub in Bristol Avon and Somerset Police/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Altercation in the Clifton Triangle area of Bristol on September 25, 2017, shortly after 2am involving England cricketer Ben Stokes The Sun/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ryan Ali with his injuries after a fight that took place near a nightclub in Bristol Avon and Somerset Police/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ryan Ali with his injuries after a fight that took place near a nightclub in Bristol Avon and Somerset Police/PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ryan Hale with his injuries PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ben Stokes (foreground) and Alex Hales outside the Mbargo nightclub in Bristol in the early hours of September 25, 2017. Stokes is seen offering cash to doorman Andrew Cunningham (who is out of frame) PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Ryan Hale taking off his shirt to cushion the head of Ryan Ali on the floor after the fight PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight A still from a police body worn camera showing the arrest of England cricketer Ben Stokes PA Ben Stokes trial: injuries and footage from Bristol fight Mbargo nightclub in Bristol, where Ben Stokes was involved in a incident last year PA Mr Stokes was arrested and asked why he punched Mr Ali. He told police: “Because he was abusing my two friends for being gay.” Mr Ali, an emergency services worker, suffered a fractured eye socket while Mr Hale, a former soldier, was left with concussion. Mr Stokes, of Stockton Road, Castle Eden, Durham, and Mr Ali, of Forest Road, Bristol, each denied a charge of affray. Mr Hale was found not guilty last week of affray by the jury on direction of the judge. After the trial, Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor said Mr Stokes “didn't deserve being put through a trial”. Speaking to ITV following Mr Stokes acquittal, the couple said they were “really thankful” for what he did. The pair said Mr Stokes came to their aid after they were called “batty boys”- a homophobic slur. An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: “We carried out a thorough independent investigation into the events of 25 September before passing a comprehensive file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service which subsequently made the decision to charge. “Having reviewed the evidence, the jury has concluded the actions of the defendants did not amount to affray and we respect this decision.” Additional reporting by agencies<doc-sep>
The England cricketer Ben Stokes tilted his head back and shut his eyes in a restrained display of relief after being found not guilty of affray following a late-night street brawl in Bristol last September. Immediately after the verdict was read out, Stokes leaned across the dock to shake hands with his co-defendant, Ryan Ali, who was found not guilty of the same charge. A jury of six men and six women listened to about 30 hours of testimony and submissions during six days of evidence, returning a unanimous verdict after just two-and-a-half hours of deliberations. Stokes squeezed the waist of his wife, Clare Ratcliffe, who wiped away tears, as the pair left courtroom 1 at Bristol crown court for the final time, after what the sportsman described as an 11-month ordeal. The atmosphere was one of measured celebration as Ali also shook hands with Ratcliffe and Stokes’ agent, Neil Fairbrother, a former cricketer himself. The lawyer Paul Lunt read a statement on behalf of Stokes on the street outside the court as the 27-year-old stood in the background, stony faced, refusing to answer questions posed to him by TV reporters and offering no apology for the incident. 00:58 Ben Stokes: Amateur footage shows alleged fight outside Bristol nightclub – video “The jury’s decision that Ben is not guilty fairly reflects the truth of what happened in Bristol that night,” Lunt said, “This has been a very difficult period for Ben. He’s had to maintain his silence at times when many on social media and certain parts of the press predetermined his guilt long before the trial began. Now that the trial is over, Ben is keen to get back to cricket being his sole focus.” Stokes lost his England vice-captaincy and a place on an Ashes tour after footage of the fight, which left two men unconscious, was published by a newspaper website in the aftermath of his arrest. He has now been reinstated to the England squad and is free to play in the third Test against India, which begins at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground on Saturday. But it can be revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service was criticised after making a belated and unsuccessful attempt to have the charge faced by Stokes upgraded. On the first day of the trial, which began last Monday, the prosecutor, Nicholas Corsellis, requested permission to add two counts of assault to the indictment. But the judge, Peter Blair QC, the Recorder of Bristol, rejected the application. He said if the new charges had been added in February, it was “hard to see how the defence could have objected”, but that Stokes’ legal team had prepared for a trial on an affray charge and should not be ambushed with a last-minute change. The CPS were also criticised for not prosecuting Stokes’ teammate Alex Hales, who can be seen on CCTV kicking the Afghanistan veteran Ryan Hale in the head while he lay on the floor injured. Hales was questioned under caution but never arrested. With the jury absent, Stephen Mooney, representing Hale, told the judge: “I struggle to understand how the Crown, in adopting the stance they have, have come to the conclusion that overt acts of direct violence used by an individual to someone on the floor is not worthy of prosecution.” Stokes was arrested in the early hours of 25 September last year after a night out with England teammates to celebrate victory over the West Indies in an international match earlier in the day. He had been identified by an off-duty police officer as the “main aggressor” in a fight which left the firefighter and former nightclub bouncer Ali with a broken eye socket and blood pouring from his face. Bristol crown court heard the incident described as “a sustained episode of significant violence” from Stokes, who had “lost control”. But Stokes’ defence remained unchanged throughout. He told the jury he had “stepped in” to defend two gay men who were being verbally abused, but then had to defend himself from Ali, 28, and Hale, 27, who were threatening violence. Ali was wielding a beer bottle held upside down by its stem, he said. William O’Connor and Kai Barry, a gay couple from Bristol, who Stokes described as “camp”, did not give evidence to the trial but on Tuesday spoke in defence of the Durham cricketer. Barry said that the incident had begun because “someone came across the road and tried to hit me with a bottle”.