• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Countdown winning contestant is charged with stabbing rival at tournament

Home> News> UK News

Updated 07:51 14 Oct 2024 GMT+1Published 07:30 14 Oct 2024 GMT+1

Countdown winning contestant is charged with stabbing rival at tournament

They were arrested last month

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

A man will appear before Preston Crown Court today (14 October) after being charged with stabbing another man.

John Cowen was arrested on 14 September at the Countdown in Blackpool 2024 event, which has former winners of the popular gameshow playing against each other.

According to the Lancaster Guardian, the tournament where the alleged stabbing took place was being held at the Wainwright Club on Blackpool's Hornby Road.

The 30-year-old Cowen allegedly attacked his opponent and police were called to the scene on the September Saturday morning, with a man in his 20s taken to hospital for treatment.

Advert

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "We were called at 11:35am on 14 September 2024 to a report of an assault on Hornby Road in Blackpool.

John Cowen during an appearance on Countdown. (Channel 4)
John Cowen during an appearance on Countdown. (Channel 4)

"Officers attended, and a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and possession of a knife / bladed article.

"John Cowen, 30, was later charged with section 18 assault – wounding with intent and possession of a knife / bladed article in a public place.

"He was remanded and will appear at Preston Crown Court on 14 October."

Advert

Cowen first appeared on Countdown in 2017 and had the third highest total score in his series, winning eight consecutive episodes and appearing in several others.

The Morecambe maths champion missed out on joining the show's 800 Club during his run on Countdown, having appeared on 12 episodes of the Channel 4 show in total between 2017 and 2019.

Blackpool's Wainwright Club, where the alleged incident took place. (Google Maps)
Blackpool's Wainwright Club, where the alleged incident took place. (Google Maps)

He will today appear before Preston Crown Court on the charges of the alleged stabbing.

The Mirror reports that the alleged victim of the stabbing was a man who appeared on Countdown in 2015 named Thomas Carey.

Advert

They say that Carey, a Bingley man, had been studying for his A-Levels when he appeared on Countdown.

He has made a total of 13 appearances on the popular game show, winning 11 of those and making it to the semi-finals in 2015.

He was the first contestant since 1986 to win all eight of his conundrums, making his subsequent appearances in the Championship of Champions XV in 2019 and again for a Christmas special episode in 2020 where he defeated fellow Bingley bloke George Armstrong in a festive show where both men scored the nine-letter word 'planetoid'.

Countdown first aired in November 1982 and was the first programme to be shown on Channel 4, since then it has run for more than 80 series and racked up thousands of episodes.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4

Topics: UK News, Crime, Channel 4, TV and Film

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Man forced to stop intense adult act on Channel 4 show made frank admission to his partner afterwards
  • Man who 'threw up after being told to let wife sleep with another bloke' explains what really made him vomit
  • Naked Attraction contestant sparked outrage with rude reaction to being rejected on show
  • Naked Attraction host was left in shock after what contestant tried to do to her when being kicked out

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Elon Musk urges release of Epstein files weeks after accusing Trump of being involved in fiery X rant

    Musk made a bombshell claim about his former 'first buddy'

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Arne Slot releases emotional statement after Diogo Jota tragically dies aged 28

    The Liverpool forward and his brother died this morning

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Mum says picture of her son at nursery saved his life after camera flash revealed rare disease

    Laura Davies, from Wales, says she would have 'never known' without the photo

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Brit, 29, who fell ill moments after getting tattoo on hen do fighting for life in coma

    Poppy-Mae Crutchley began to feel unwell 'instantly' after she got the inking in the Spanish party hotspot

    News