Ben Stokes had 'stepped in' to protect us from homophobic abuse when arrested, men claim

Two men have said the England cricketer came to their aid by standing up to people who were abusing them

Ben Stokes has not flown out with his England teammates for this winter's Ashes (Getty)

Cricketer Ben Stokes was defending two men from homophobic abuse when he was arrested following an incident in Bristol last month, it has been reported.

Stokes was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm in September but two men have now claimed the all-rounder had ‘stepped in’ to stop abuse.

Kai Barry, 26, and Billy O’Connell, 20, said in an interview with the Sun that Stokes came to their aid by standing up to people who were abusing them.

Officers were called to the Clifton Triangle area of Bristol in the early hours of September 25 to reports of disorder, where Stokes was arrested. He was later released under investigation.

A 27-year-old man suffered minor facial injuries and was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary for treatment.

Barry and O'Connell claimed they met Stokes and his England team-mate Alex Hales in a nightclub and had no idea they were cricketers.

It is reported that Stokes and Hales were later walking along the road near the pair after leaving the nightclub when the two men in questioned were subjected to homophobic abuse.

O'Connell told The Sun: “We were so grateful to Ben for stepping in to help. He was a real hero.

”Kai feared he could be attacked. If Ben hadn't intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.“

Barry added: ”I'm not a fighter and we didn't want a fight. We could've been in real trouble. Ben was a real gentleman.“

Neil Fairbrother, Stokes' agent with International Sports Management, has said the star will offer a full explanation of his actions ”when the time is right“.

Additional reporting by agencies