By Jason Evans

Copyright walesonline

A Countdown champion who stabbed a rival at a fan event may have felt “cheated” that other players had been practicing the game on an app, a court heard. John Cowen stabbed Thomas Carey with a knife at a meeting of the Focal Countdown Group, an informal club of past contestants and fans of the popular Channel 4 show. Mr Carey was chatting with fans at the Wainwright Social Club in Blackpool before a planned tournament when Cowen walked in brandishing a knife and attacked him. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter Lancashire Live reports that the defendant had been deemed unfit to stand trial due to his mental health and a jury at Preston Crown Court found he committed the alleged acts, namely assault and possession of a knife in a public place. At the trial Mr Carey told a jurors: “I saw someone coming towards me. It was John Cowen. “He had been to a few events in the past but he hadn’t been to any recently. “He used to have a big beard. He didn’t at that time but I recognised him quick enough. He was making a noise – like a half grown, half scream. “He came up to me with the knife and then he stabbed me in the arm.” The court heard that after stabbing Mr Carey the defendant was wrestled to the ground and detained until police arrived. “The victim was taken to hospital with a wound to his left bicep. Meanwhile the defendant had been arrested, and was found to be in possession of another knife. During the course of the trial the jury heard that some members of the Focal Countdown Group – which holds monthly meetings at different locations around the UK – had been practicing the letters and numbers game on an app, and that the defendant had expressed the view that he felt “cheated” by that. The jury was shown CCTV of the incident as well as hearing evidence from a number of people who were present at the club. The defendant did not give evidence. After deliberating for 15 minutes the jury found Cowen did commit the alleged acts. Sentencing was adjourned to September 30 to allow for the preparation of psychiatric reports. Maths graduate Cowen, from Morecambe in Lancashire, appeared on Countdown in 2017 and scored the third-highest total score during his series. He competed in a further 11 episodes of the quiz show, winning eight consecutive contests, before being finally defeated.