England cricket star Ben Stokes found not guilty of affray
England's Ben Stokes found not guilty of affray after alcohol-fuelled brawl outside a nightclub. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England cricket star Ben Stokes has been found not guilty of affray after an alcohol-fuelled brawl outside a nightclub last year.
Stokes, 27, was on trial for knocking out two men outside the Mbargo nightclub in the southwest English city of Bristol last September 2017 following a one-day game against the West Indies.
Stokes said he was acting in self defence.
Stokes was the most expensive overseas recruit in the annual player auction for the Indian Premier League this year. The Rajasthan Royals paid $AU2.68 million for Stokes to play in the six-week Twenty20 competition.
The criminal case led to Stokes missing some of England's biggest matches, including the Ashes tour of Australia and the second test against India last week.
CCTV footage shows Ben Stokes engaging in an altercation with a group of men. (The Sun)
Stokes' co-accused Ryan Ali, who was knocked unconscious in the incident, was also cleared of affray by the jury in a unanimous verdict at Bristol Crown Court.
Another man charged with affray over the brawl, Ryan Hale, was acquitted midway through the trial after the judge issued a direction to the jury.
During the trial the court saw police body camera footage that filmed the aftermath of the incident, and security-camera footage from outside the club.
When Stokes gave evidence he repeated comments that were picked up in the police footage.
He said he became involved in the brawl while defending two men, Kai Barry and William O'Connor, who were being victimised for being gay.
The security-camera footage showed Stokes talking to the two men after he was refused re-entry to the club before leaving the area.
Stokes then encountered Mr Barry, Mr O'Connor, Mr Hale and Mr Ali further down the road where the fighting began.
ABC/AP