Come Dine With Me star threw victim down stairs at bar

A TELEVISION show contestant who threw a man down a flight of stairs in a nightclub has been ordered to pay his victim compensation.

John Beachell, who has appeared on Come Dine With Me, grabbed Richard Cross in a headlock after he saw him being assaulted on the dance floor of Georgie's Bar, in Driffield, on May 19 last year.

He escorted Mr Cross off the premises for his "own protection" but when he reached the exit, Beachell threw him down a flight of stairs towards door staff at the bottom.

The door staff were not expecting Mr Cross to be thrown down the stairs and failed to catch him. The victim fell face first, breaking his teeth and needing stitches to his face.

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Beachell, 32, of Driffield, told the door staff: "I thought you would catch him."

Prosecutor Jharna Jobes said: "Barmaid Gayle Smith saw a number of people punching each other on the dance floor and went to call the door staff who were at the bottom of the stairs. They were coming up the stairs when they saw Beachell with Mr Cross in a headlock and it was at that point Beachell let him go."

He has now pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Hull Crown Court.

His solicitor Jo Golding said: "He had not gone to cause any trouble, he became embroiled in the difficulties because he was trying to assist the complainant.

"He saw the man was substantially smaller than the others and the others were getting the better of him.

"He approached this young man and put him in a headlock and escorted him across the bar.

"He says it was instinct and he had to get this man out of difficulties. He let him go too early, had he waited two to three seconds longer the door staff would have reached the top of the stairs and caught him. They were just a hair's breadth away.

"He was overzealous and he should have waited.

"It turned into a horrific incident and he accepts his actions were reckless. He is a very respected member of the community."

The Honorary Recorder of Hull and the East Riding Judge Michael Mettyear, has deferred sentencing for six months and ordered Beachell to save up £500 compensation for his victim or face prison.

He described the injuries as "nasty".

He told Beachell: "I'm going to defer sentence for six months, to make sure there is no more trouble for six months and to give you some time to save up some compensation for your victim.

"I want you to come back to court, having saved £500.

"If you fail to stay out of trouble and save up compensation there will be one sort of sentence but if you have saved the money and stayed out of trouble there will be a different sort of sentence."

Beachell will be sentenced in August.

After the hearing, Mr Cross shook his assailant's hand and told Beachell there were no hard feelings.

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