The incident is reported to have occurred outside a house where he was residing in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, in May last year. The alleged victim is said to have a double skull fracture and is unable to work because of it.
Tompkinson faces a GBH charge with a maximum five-year jail sentence if he is convicted. However, the actor denies the charge. Prosecutors claimed the actor “unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm”.
A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service told the publication that the actor appeared before magistrates on August 10. The spokesman explained: “He pleaded not guilty and will next appear at Newcastle crown court on Wednesday, September 7.”
Stephen is known for his role as DCI Alan Banks in ITV series DCI Banks. He also appeared in Wild at Heart as Danny Trevanion, Truckers as Malachi Davies, Trollied as Brian and The Split as Davey McKenzie. Between 1990 and 1998, he appeared as Damien Day in Drop the Dead Donkey. The actor had roles in many stage productions including A Christmas Carol, Tartuffe, Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Boys from Syracuse.
I find it hard to believe he would do such a thing. I last saw him in “Ballykissangel” and he seemed such a mild mannered person. I wonder what provoked him - and will we ever know the facts?
The thing is…these people are paid to act. So they might “seem” nice and lovely onscreen, but they are ordinary people with lives and families. I really hope he hasn’t done this much damage to the poor man…and maybe it was only an argument or a fight (which still isn’t ok, of course), but either way, I doubt we will see him on TV again.
It is odd that the Mirror newspaper referred to the alleged victim as a “father” - Stephen Tompkinson is a Father too, but the article only refers to the alleged victim as a “Father” - Why?
That’s even more odd than when the media refer to an alleged victim as a “grandfather” or “grandmother” to conjure up an image of a vulnerable, elderly person and garner greater sympathy - in reality, one can be a perfectly fit and healthy young parent or grandparent - I can’t see what difference the family status of the alleged victim makes to the case against the accused.
No doubt the details of the case will come out in the Trial and be reported.
I was interested to read that Stephen Tompkinson came from my home town - and lived close to where I went to school. I think he’s a good actor and have enjoyed watching him in several different roles.
If he is proved guilty of GBH, that will put the kybosh on his acting career but, for now, he has pleaded “not guilty” and I still believe that folk are innocent until proved guilty, so I’ll await the trial verdict.
I dont think we can say one way or another if his career is gone , it would depend on the circumstances .He could have been trying to protect someone , perhaps a woman .
If its his first time in trouble , I think he should be allowed to get on with his career , just my thinking on the subject.
