Channel 4 Countdown champion appears in court charged with stabbing a rival contestant at a...
Written by Andy Chamberlain for Mailonline
Posted: 6:04 PM BST, October 14, 2024 | Latest update: 6:53 PM BST, October 14, 2024
A former Countdown champion from Channel 4 has faced a court appearance after being accused of stabbing another contestant during a competition featuring previous winners.
John Cowen is alleged to have assaulted Thomas Carey with a knife during the Countdown in Blackpool 2024 event held in the Lancashire resort last month.
The 30-year-old faces accusations of intentionally causing harm, as well as two counts of having a knife, according to Mercedeh Jabbari, who is prosecuting the case. This information was presented during a brief 10-minute hearing.
John Cowen, the Channel 4 Countdown champion, has been accused of assaulting Thomas Carey with a knife.
Cowen faced charges for intentionally causing serious injury under section 18 and for having a sharp weapon. This followed an incident in which Mr. Carey, a man in his twenties, was admitted to the hospital for medical care.
Thomas Carey, who previously studied mathematics at Cambridge University, gained recognition as an accomplished octochamp on the television quiz show. He first appeared on the show in June 2015, two years before Cowen, while he was still in sixth form.
Cowen was detained during the event at the Wainwright Club in town—an annual competition that brings together past champions of the Channel 4 game show to face off against one another.
Mr. Carey, who previously studied mathematics at Cambridge University, was admitted to the hospital to receive care for a stab wound he sustained.
Cowen only confirmed his identity when he made an appearance at Preston Crown Court today.
Mr. Carey was ranked third on the leaderboard before the event. He had previously won it in 2022 but missed the opening round due to an alleged incident that occurred on September 14.
Cowen, aged 30, is alleged to have assaulted Thomas Carey during the Countdown in Blackpool 2024 event at the Lancashire resort last month.
Cowen (seen in the photo) is scheduled to appear at Preston Crown Court again on December 6. Meanwhile, Thomas Carey, a former math student from Cambridge University, was hospitalized to receive treatment for a stab wound he sustained.
Cowen made his debut in the 77th series of the Channel 4 program. Shown here is Countdown presenter Rachel Riley during an episode featuring Cowen.
Cowen, hailing from Morecambe, first appeared on the Channel 4 program in 2017, achieving the third-highest score for the entire series.
After winning all eight of his preliminary round matches and earning the title of 'octochamp,' he competed in the series finale as the third seed in December 2017.
However, he was defeated in the semi-finals by Bradley Horrocks, the organizer of the Blackpool event.
Mr. Carey, a resident of Bingley, West Yorkshire, is in his twenties and is known as an octochamp. He first appeared on the scene two years earlier than Cowen, making his debut in June 2015 while still a sixth-form student.
Cowen, who holds a degree in mathematics, is scheduled to appear at Preston Crown Court on December 6.
