Ben Stokes trial - latest updates: England cricketer left man covered in blood 'because he was abusing my two friends for being gay', court hears
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The third day of Ben Stokes' trial came to an end on Wednesday, with the England cricketer accused of being the "main aggressor" in a fracas in Bristol.
The all-rounder, 27, is accused of attacking two men in a brawl outside a local nightclub last September.
Bristol Crown Court heard Mr Stokes “lost control” in the affray and knocked Ryan Hale, 27, to the ground before knocking out Ryan Ali, 28.
Mr Hale and Mr Ali are also charged with affray.
Follow the latest on the trial in our liveblog below.
Read yesterday's report on the trial.
In a statement taken hours after the alleged incident, Mark Spure, an off-duty police community support officer at the scene, said: "While I was trying to stop the fighting, one male struck the other in the head with a clenched fist."
Mr Spure explained to the court that he shouted at men behind him to "f*** off" as he did not want them to get involved.
The officer went to the aid of Ali, who had apparently been knocked to the floor by Stokes and attempted to move him out of the road.
Mr Spure said in his statement that Ali had facial injuries and a bloodied eye and was "completely unable to move".
He also confirmed that he told the police officers arriving at the scene that Stokes - who he did not know - had punched Ali.
Medical evidence read in court indicates that Ryan Hale sustained a 1.5 inch laceration to his forehead during the fracas, which the court heard was consistent with blunt trauma.
Meanwhile, Ryan Ali sustained swelling from a fractured eye-socket, and also had a cracked molar.
Before lunch, the court heard that Stokes was the "main aggressor" in the fracas in Bristol.
Bristol Crown Court heard evidence from off-duty police community support officer Andrew Spure, who was celebrating a colleague's leaving do at Mbargo on the night in question.
Mr Spure told the court: "The individual seemed to be the main aggressor or was progressing forward trying to get to another individual.
PC Stacey Alway has told the court how she was on duty with a colleague in a patrol car when they saw a man, Ryan Ali, lying in the carriageway of Queen's Road with another person tending to him.
She said they stopped the car and spoke to the man, who police community support officer Andrew Spure. He told her that he had seen Stokes punch Ali to the floor and then pointed to a group of men stood on the other side of the road.
PC Stacey Alway, who was on duty with a colleague in a patrol car at the time of the incident, told jurors: "As I approached the group I could see the male wearing the green T-shirt, Mr Stokes, squaring up to the other males.
"I didn't know who these males were because I was unable to identify them. From the moment I approached him (Stokes) he calmed down and he was completely compliant with me."
She confirmed she arrested Stokes on suspicion of assault and cautioned him.
The footage taken from the camera she was wearing has been played to the jury.
The court has heard that PC Stacey Alway, who was on duty at the time of the incident, walked over to Ben Stokes and told him: "A guy over there was covered in blood and I've been told you punched him."
PC Alway said Stokes replied: "Because he was abusing my two friends for being gay."
Gordon Cole QC, defending Stokes, then asked PC Alway to confirm that his client was "calm and compliant" with her when he was arrested.
"He asked whether you could loosen the handcuff on his right hand? He said it was because it had been injured, not because of what happened but because he had three operations on it?"
The officer replied: "Yes, that is correct."
Mr Cole asked: "You loosened the handcuff and he thanked you for it?"
She replied: "Yes."
In footage taken by a camera being worn by PC Stacey Alway, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, Ben Stokes can be heard asking PC Alway: "Is there going to be any sort of cameras around here?"
He said to the officer: "Have those two other guys gone? What about two other lads - gay guys?"
Team-mate Alex Hales told PC Alway that he had not witnessed the alleged fight.
"I came after you guys turned up," he told her.
When she told him to leave Stokes, who had been placed in a police vehicle, Mr Hales replied: "I feel bad. He's my best friend. I saw him after everything happened."
PC Stacey Alway, who arrested Ben Stokes following the incident, told Alex Hales his England team-mate, that Stokes had money on him and so would be able to get home after being released from custody.
Mr Hales asked Stokes: "I don't want to go. Are you sure? I turned up after the whole thing."
PC Alway told Bristol Crown Court that she did not take Mr Hales's details.
"He told me that he didn't witness anything so I didn't ask him," she said.
When in the police car, Stokes appears to mouth at Mr Hales something like 'Come with me' or 'You're with me'.
Ben Stokes told police after his arrest that he was acting in self-defence as he believed he would be attacked.
Here is a transcript of his first statement to officers:
"On Sunday evening I went out with a number of friends. We were in Mbargo.
"It was a happy evening with no problems. Me and Alex Hales decided to leave to go to another bar called Prizm.
"We went there but it wasn't very good, so we went back to Mbargo. By now they were closing and not letting anyone come in.
"So, we decided to go to a casino and were making our way there when this happened. Alex and I were on our own at the time.
"As we walked along we saw very soon two guys who were obviously gay, being spoken to by two much larger men.
"These men were speaking to the gay guys in what I would call a harsh and abusive way. It was homophobic in nature. It wasn't at all like banter.
"I took exception and said 'leave it out' and 'you shouldn't be taking the p*** because they're gay'.
"One of the guys responded - he said 'shut up or I'll bottle you' in an aggressive tone to me.
"It was then that I noticed he had a dark bottle in his right hand. It was a beer bottle size and he was holding it by the neck.
"I continued to say he shouldn't be saying the things he was. Then he started coming towards me, holding the bottle.
"He had been about three steps away but as he got close I grabbed at his arm as I thought he was going to assault me.
"We scuffled and at one point ended up on the floor. I was getting the better of it, I think.
"I then felt the other guy come at me from behind. He grabbed me and pulled me. I stumbled and got up. I was facing the second guy but didn't know where the first guy was.
"I was worried it might be two on to one and I knew one had had a bottle just before this.
"So, I felt the need to defend myself. I felt I was going to be attacked. I didn't feel I had an option to leave in the heat of the situation.
"I grappled with the second guy, in the course of that I can recall hitting him more than once. There were punches.
"At one point he went to the floor and it stopped them.
"Obviously it all happened very quickly but I am clear that I felt under threat of immediate attack from both these men and I did what I did only in order to defend myself."
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