Jurors in the Stephen Tompkinson trial at Newcastle Crown Court have today (Wednesday May 10) heard the closing speeches of the two counsel in the case.

The 57-year-old actor stands accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm to one of two drunken men who were causing a disturbance outside his home, in Whitley Bay, at 5.30am on Sunday, May 30, 2021.

It is the prosecution’s case that “in anger” at their conduct he came out of his home and raised his hand to one of the men, Karl Poole, who was wearing only boxer shorts and socks, having just come from the beach.

An independent witness, a neighbour who lived 30-metres away along the street, described Mr Tomkinson as the aggressor, first slapping and then punching Mr Poole, who staggered backwards and dropped to the ground in an unbroken fall, which was later found to have caused him traumatic brain injuries.

Read more: Stockton's Stephen Tompkinson says assault would be 'career suicide'

Prosecution counsel Michael Bunch told the jury: “Some time after 5.30am that morning, Karl Poole sustained a traumatic head injury.

“How that happened, how he ended up in the road, is the central question you have to decide upon in this case.

“In reality, it boils down to why?

“Was Mr Poole punched by Mr Tompkinson in anger or was the anger Mr Poole’s when the defendant challenged him over his drunken condition?”

He told jurors that if they were sure Mr Poole was deliberately assaulted by Mr Tompkinson, who wasn’t acting in self-defence, it would be their duty to convict the defendant.

But Mr Bunch told them: “if the prosecution has not made you sure, you must find Mr Tompkinson not guilty.”

Mr Bunch said: “The fact he (Mr Tompkinson) is a well-known actor and is well thought of, should be no surprise”, but he described this as, “window dressing and not the meat of the case.”

He went on: “No-one is saying he set out to cause the injuries or to cause him any significant harm at all.

“The hard case is that he intentionally and unlawfully assaulted Mr Poole by throwing a slap and a punch to Mr Poole.”

Read more: Actor Stephen Tompkinson denies gbh attack outside Whitley Bay home

Mr Bunch said he may have lived to regret it even from the moment he delivered those blows.

“The Crown’s case is simple, He snapped and lashed out and, as a consequence, Mr Poole sustained serious injuries.

“Nobody is saying the defendant wanted to cause and significant harm to either of these men.”

It is the defendant’s case that he was holding his mobile phone waiting to be put through to police and he only put up his hand to prevent Mr Poole approaching him any further.

Nicholas Lumley, for the defendant, said it is accepted by the defence that the witness may have thought she saw Mr Tomkinson throwing a punch.

But he told the jury that she was 100ft away, looking from the window of her home and in shock at the scene, and suggested she was mistaken at what she believed she had seen down the street at that time of day.

Mr Lumley said the fact that the defendant did not ring for an ambulance as Mr Poole lay unconscious on the ground was because he believed him to be asleep.

“No-one thought Mr Poole was anything other than extremely drunk.”

Mr Lumley reminded jurors that pathologist’s evidence was that a forceful push could have had the same effect as a forceful punch in causing Mr Poole, in his condition, to fall over.

He pointed out that there was an absence of assault-type injuries to his face, which, “may be relevant”.

Mr Lumley said Mr Tomkinson was, "entirely sober" and had just been folding laundry, and was wearing only his pyjamas and dressing gown, when the incident took place.

"He had every reason then, and now, not to assault a complete stranger.

"He's not that sort of person.

"We suggest whatever he did, he did in self-defence, and was reasonable and would have been done by many of us."

Mr Lumley said the consequences were, "tragic" and "unintended".

"They don't make Stephen Tomkinson guilty.

"The correct verdict in this case is one of 'not guilty'."

Read next:

* Actor Stephen Tompkinson going on trial accused of inflicting GBH

* Actor Stephen Tompkinson denies gbh attack outside Whitley Bay home

* Actor Stephen Tompkinson court hearing for alleged Whitley Bay assault

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Trial judge, The Recorder of Newcastle, Judge Paul Sloan, then began to sum up the evidence in the case to the jury.

Stockton-born Mr Tompkinson denies the charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Proceeding.