London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Stephen Tompkinson trial: Actor denies punching drunk man

Stephen Tompkinson trial: Actor denies punching drunk man

Actor Stephen Tompkinson has told his trial punching a drunk man outside his home would have been "career suicide".

The 57-year-old also said he would have broken his fingers if he had struck Karl Poole, in Whitley Bay, in May 2021, because he had been holding his phone at the time.

Mr Tompkinson, of Whitley Bay, denies causing grievous bodily harm.

He told Newcastle Crown Court Mr Poole and his friend had been the "definition of drunk and disorderly".

Mr Poole sustained a double skull fracture when he fell and hit his head during the altercation outside Mr Tompkinson's home at about 05:30 BST.

The DCI Banks and Ballykissangel star insists he did not punch Mr Poole but pushed him away in self-defence.

Giving evidence, the actor said he called the police after seeing Mr Poole and Andrew Hall drunk in the street.

He described the men as repeatedly falling over and drinking from a bottle of Jägermeister - which he took from them as he was concerned they would drop it.

"They were making a lot of noise and they could barely stand. I thought it was in their best interests as well to get them assisted home at least," the defendant said.

Stephen Tompkinson found fame in the TV shows Ballykissangel and Drop the Dead Donkey


He said a neighbour's previous evidence that he raised a fist, and then thought better of it, was him showing the men his phone to prove he had called the police.

In response to the gesture, Mr Hall, swearing, told the Drop The Dead Donkey star he could call who he liked, adding: "I'm a social worker", the jury heard.

Mr Tompkinson said he was so "dazzled" by the response that he repeated the words "I'm a social worker" because "it hardly seemed like conduct becoming of one".

Mr Poole then turned and said, also swearing, that he did not care who Mr Tompkinson was.

The "whole atmosphere changed very quickly", going from "jovial to frightening", with both men getting unsteadily to their feet and approaching him, the actor said.

He put his right hand out to make a "stop" motion, his flat palm connected with Mr Poole's face and he fell to the ground because of his "unsteadiness", he added.

"I didn't want to hurt him, I wanted to stop him, change his mind," Mr Tompkinson said.

"It wasn't enough to knock a sober man off his feet."

The actor said he always wanted to treat members of his potential audience "with respect"


The actor said he was holding his phone so could not have thrown a punch without hurting himself "or risking some solid metal going into Karl's face".

The court heard Mr Poole did not have visible facial injuries.

Asked if he had punched or assaulted Mr Poole, the actor said no.

He told the court he was "not responsible" for the brain injuries Mr Poole sustained.

When asked if he accepted some accountability, Mr Tompkinson agreed.

His barrister, Nicholas Lumley KC, said: "Standing there now, how do you feel about that head injury?"

Mr Tompkinson replied: "That's the reason we are all here. It's a terrible thing to have happened to anyone."


'Just not him'


After Ballykissangel reached 15 million viewers his father reminded him he had been "invited into people's living rooms now, and you must always treat them with respect", the actor told the jury.

"And I always try to," he said.

"It would be career suicide to do something as outrageous as assault someone."

He had not worked since he had been charged, he added.

Comedian and writer Andy Hamilton and actors Nichola McAuliffe and Dean Bone appeared in court as character witnesses for the defence.

Mr Hamilton worked with the actor on Drop The Dead Donkey but had "never seen him lose his temper", the jury was told.

"I can't remember ever hearing him raise his voice. I have never seen him get abusive or aggressive with anyone. That's just not him."

The court was also read a character statement from Hayley Mills, his co-star in the vet drama Wild At Heart, who said the animals all "responded to the calm way he dealt with them".

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×