Skydiver who parachuted as Queen in 2012 Olympics convicted of assaulting girlfriend
24 July 2022, 11:22 | Updated: 24 July 2022, 12:20
A skydiver who played the role of the Queen parachuting in to the 2012 Olympic Games faces jail for assaulting his girlfriend.
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Gary Connery shoved Tanya Brass's head into a banister then threw her down stairs at their home in October 2020.
Jurors cleared Connery of grievous bodily harm with intent after a trial but last week convicted him of causing GBH without intent.
Jonathan Stone, prosecuting, told Reading Crown Court: "This is a nasty allegation of domestic violence. The vast, vast majority of those types of cases go on behind closed doors, behind curtains, away from prying eyes.
"You have heard a number of character witnesses speak of Mr Connery in glowing terms. I have no doubt he is a lovely chap, at work, down the pub, on the golf course.
"But none of the character referees have said that they peered through the window while the defendant and Ms Brass are home alone, when he holds all the cards."
Connery, of Henley-on-Thames, memorably parachuted in to the 2012 Olympic Games during the opening ceremony at the purpose-built stadium in east London, after a skit involving the real Queen and Daniel Craig, who played James Bond in the clip.
The stuntman then leapt in from a helicopter in a dress before deploying his union jack parachute, gliding over the London Stadium to the delight of crowds before Her Majesty was introduced to the crowd down below.
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The Mail reports that Connery claimed Ms Brass had tried to hit him on the stairs but fell. He admitted telling police that he said "instant karma" when his girlfriend hit the bottom of the steps.
Ms Brass said he took her phone when she attempted to call for an ambulance.
Paramedics who treated her said Connery told them she had hit her head on the door while Ms Brass told them he had pushed her.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
