Ben Stokes - howzat?

[ripple11]

The altercation with the bouncer....and the fight....all on CCTV and video, so not a lot of wriggle room.

Might need something a little stronger than Beefy's red wine.

[nirvana]

Interestingly, pre-trial 16 potential jurors were asked if they had any interest in cricket or views on Stokes + or - that would affect their judgement

Not one professed to be a fan of the sport or to know who he was

That's hard to believe, but here on blonde, where we have a knowledgeable collection of people interested in sport, there was a discussion about SPOTY nominee Jonathan Rae last year (Superbike World Champion '15, '16 & '17), & several members said they had never heard of him, which was equally hard to believe - but true, I guess.

So it is possible.

I still hadn't heard of him and by tomorrow I won't have heard of him again

[tikay]

Interestingly, pre-trial 16 potential jurors were asked if they had any interest in cricket or views on Stokes + or - that would affect their judgement

Not one professed to be a fan of the sport or to know who he was

That's hard to believe, but here on blonde, where we have a knowledgeable collection of people interested in sport, there was a discussion about SPOTY nominee Jonathan Rae last year (Superbike World Champion '15, '16 & '17), & several members said they had never heard of him, which was equally hard to believe - but true, I guess.

So it is possible.

I still hadn't heard of him and by tomorrow I won't have heard of him again

Well if he ends up in court charged with affray, you are cleared for jury duty.

[Karabiner]

The altercation with the bouncer....and the fight....all on CCTV and video, so not a lot of wriggle room.

Might need something a little stronger than Beefy's red wine.

Let's not be too hasty now; after all we've not yet heard what the co-defendants have been paid to say.

[4KSuited]

From the CCTV images, there doesn't look like a lot of self defence going on from Stokes.

Today's testimony from the bouncer was damning too. Unless the jury buy into some pretty desperate arguments/mitigation from the defence, there really only seems to be one likely verdict to my simple mind.

I don't think locking him up will achieve much, but a thousand hours of community service might bring a bit more meaning to his life outside of the game of cricket.

[Doobs]

There is 4 minutes of CCTV and the first interactions with the gay men and bouncer here.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/ben-stokes-trial-cctv-footage-13046154

cliffs
Stokes does flick something at one of the men, possibly a cigarette butt (about 2:51), though there isn't an obvious reaction to it.
Stokes does seem to do a camp pose after the men have gone, though there isn't anything really obvious before that, though Hales seems to grab his face to stop him doing something about 15 seconds after the "cigarette butt" was flicked.  I'd say there isn't any obviously angry exchanges between Stokes and the gay men.
Stokes never looks to be angry up until right near the end where someone (probably today's bouncer witness) refuses to shake his hand.  He shakes somebody else's hand before that (probably another member of bar staff).

I watched the fight video before, and that seems much more damning.
 

[Doobs]

This is an overview of what the affray charge means in this context/

http://www.keepcalmtalklaw.co.uk/affray-outside-off-stump-explaining-ben-stokes-charges-/

[ripple11]

Stoke’ initial police interview took 21 minutes. He answered no comment to all questions


.......he's been watching too many police documentaries 

[KarmaDope]

Stoke’ initial police interview took 21 minutes. He answered no comment to all questions


.......he's been watching too many police documentaries  

No.

He will have been told to do that by his solicitor. That's pretty much defence 101 from any decent solicitor.

The police have to disclose any evidence they have to the defence before the interviews start, and these have to take place within the first 24hrs after arrest, which is a legal rule. There's no way they have all the CCTV footage etc and the defence solicitor knows this. Therefore, in order to stop Stokes saying something that can be contradicted by CCTV evidence/witnesses etc, solicitor will advise no comment at that time. Once all evidence has been disclosed, then Stokes would have probably been re-interviewed, and answered questions.

[tikay]

Ryan Hale (not to be confused with Alex Hales) has been acquitted, leaving just two defendants now.

Judging by the evidence, it's hard to see how Alex Hales was not also charged, it was alleged he stamped three times on the head of a guy who was already down and out.

Not been a good pre-lunch session for Stokes.

[nirvana]

This is an overview of what the affray charge means in this context/

http://www.keepcalmtalklaw.co.uk/affray-outside-off-stump-explaining-ben-stokes-charges-/

Pretty interesting this.

While here though, find it hard to imagine why any money is spent on a case like this. Ideally all parties would agree to a bit of community service and move on before it gets near a court - no idea if that's a possible outcome once a decision is made to prosecute. Just fail to see how the public interest is served at all by the process - probs missing something as per

[4KSuited]

"A couple of beers.... And 5 or 6 vodka & lemonades"

Vodka & lemonade?

Who'd have thought....

Always fascinating to find out these incidental details.

[hhyftrftdr]

Maybe he was Schwepped away in the moment that evening.

[4KSuited]

Schweppes?

Just the tonic

[tikay]

Think Ben must be having a laugh here......(from this morning's cross-examination)


The CCTV shows Stokes, just before he leaves his failed attempt to get into Mbargo
“You were looking up, and talking down your nose at the doorman. You were angry, weren’t you?” asked the prosecutor.
“I think I might have been looking at the night sky,” said Stokes.

”Who were you talking to?”
I don’t know, God? said Stokes
“I’m sorry?” asked the prosecutor.
“I was talking to God.”