Countdown champion who stabbed rival detained

A former Countdown champion who stabbed a rival at a fan convention in a "terrifying incident" will be detained in a hospital indefinitely, a sentencing hearing was told.

John Cowen, 31, entered the convention venue with a knife in his hand and walked up to fellow Countdown champion Thomas Carey before stabbing him in the upper arm, Preston Crown Court heard.

It happened on 14 September 2024 at a gathering of the Focal Countdown Group at the Wainwright Social Club in Blackpool, where former contestants on the Channel 4 TV quiz show and fans meet for unofficial tournaments.

Judge Guy Mathieson ruled earlier this year Cowen was unfit to stand trial due to a mental health illness.

Detaining Cowen, Judge Mathieson said the defendant entered the venue and "went straight for Mr Carey".

"This was a terrifying incident of deliberate violence with a knife, which could have caused far more serious injury and possible lethality," Judge Mathieson said.

Cowen was arrested at the scene and later charged with a wounding offence and two counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place.

After the judge found Cowen was unfit to stand trial, a fact-finding hearing took place, after which a jury found that Cowen, from Morecambe, had committed the act of wounding as charged.

Judge Mathieson said Cowen never offered an explanation for his actions, although the court previously heard he had expressed discontent over the use of an app by some of those at the conventions.

"The one matter tentatively put to Mr Carey was that there had been some ongoing disagreement between you, Mr Cowen, and others on the use of an app to play or help with playing Countdown," Judge Mathieson told the hearing.

"Mr Carey was at a complete loss as to why he had been singled out for this attack."

The judge ordered Cowen, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, be detained in hospital for an "indefinite duration" under Section 37/41 of the Mental Health Act.

Cowen, who appeared via videolink from a psychiatric hospital where he is undergoing medical treatment, did not react to the decision.

He will also be subject to a restriction order, meaning his discharge from hospital will require the consent of the secretary of state for justice.

Cowen appeared on Countdown in 2017, when he scored the third highest total of the series in which he was a contestant, including spotting the nine-letter word "spreading".

He competed in a further 11 episodes, winning eight consecutive contests, before he was finally defeated.