Doncaster Brassed Off actor Stephen Tompkinson found not guilty of GBH

The 57-year-old actor was accused of punching the man in the early hours of 30 May 2021 in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside.

Newcastle Crown Court had heard Mr Tompkinson's actions caused Karl Poole to fall and fracture his skull.

The DCI Banks star said he acted in self-defence.

Prosecutors claimed he had "snapped" and "lashed out" at Mr Poole in "disgust" at his behaviour.

But Mr Tompkinson told jurors the contact "wasn't enough to knock a sober man off his feet".

The trial heard Mr Poole and his friend Andrew Hall had been drinking since midnight that bank holiday Sunday and had gone to the beach before passing Mr Tompkinson's home on their walk back.

The actor, who starred in 1996 movie Brassed Off, which saw numerous scenes filmed in Doncaster, is best known for playing the title role in TV crime drama DCI Banks.

Tompkinson became a household name after starring as Father Peter Clifford in 1996’s Ballykissangel and other TV credits include Drop The Dead Donkey, Wild At Heart, Minder and New Tricks.

In Brassed Off, which he starred in with Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald, he played struggling trombonist Phil, son of band leader Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) with scenes filmed at Doncaster Minster.

Jurors found Mr Tompkinson not guilty after around two hours of deliberations and asked for his reaction as he left court, he told reporters: "I just want to go home."