Countdown champion who stabbed rival participant after feeling ‘cheated’ learns destiny
John Cowen, 31, walked up to fellow Countdown champion Thomas Carey before stabbing him in the upper arm in a ‘terrifying incident’
A Countdown champion who knifed a fellow player at a fan club tournament “felt cheated” because other competitors practised the game online using an app. He has now been detained in a hospital for treatment, a judge has ruled.
John Cowen, 31, sprinted across Wainwright Social Club in Blackpool wielding a knife and lunged over a table to assault Thomas Carey, Preston Crown Court heard. The incident occurred on September 14, 2024, during the Focal Countdown Group event, where former contestants were scheduled to play against fans of the Channel 4 programme.
Judge Guy Mathieson stated that he had deemed Cowen unfit for trial and instructed the jury to instead establish the facts of the incident. They concluded that he had committed assault and had been in possession of a knife in a public place.
“You were in possession of two kitchen knives and already held one of them in your hand – clearly to be used as a weapon,” Judge Mathieson said.
“This was a terrifying incident of deliberate violence with a knife which could have caused far more serious injury and possible lethality,” the judge said.
CCTV footage showing Cowen, a Cambridge maths graduate, entering the venue just after 11.30 BST was presented in court. Around 30 people were in the club’s function room at the time, including Mr Carey.
Mrs Scott Bell said: “The defendant had a knife in his left hand. You can just about make it out, glinting as he walks past the camera. He appears to see Mr Carey and he then breaks into a run and he goes straight for him.
“The defendant lunged across the table with his left hand going straight towards Mr Carey. Mr Carey was forced back on to the seat behind him and you can just about make out him trying to kick towards the defendant.
“Mr Carey then grabbed the defendant’s wrist in an endeavour to stop the assault. By then he had been stabbed.”
The court was told Cowen was dragged away from Mr Carey by others present and pinned to the floor before police were summoned. The victim received hospital treatment for a stab wound to his left bicep.
Upon arrest, Cowen was searched and officers discovered another kitchen knife in his pocket, prosecutors revealed.
Mrs Scott Bell explained that Mr Carey had been part of the Countdown fan club since 2011 and was acquainted with Cowen from previous gatherings.
Taking the witness stand, he described hearing a “half-growl, half-scream” before spotting Cowen brandishing a knife. The jury heard that some attendees at these conventions – held monthly nationwide – utilised an app to rehearse the game online.
Jonathan Lally, defending, questioned Mr Carey: “Can you ever recall that he thought people were using the app and he felt cheated?”. Mr Carey replied: “Yes, he said something like that at some point.”
Cowen, from Morecambe in Lancashire, was absent from court as jurors were informed he was “seriously mental unwell” and receiving hospital care.
He featured on Countdown in 2017 and achieved the third-highest total score during his series. He participated in a further 11 episodes of the quiz programme, claiming eight consecutive victories, before eventually suffering defeat.
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 that was 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 on Wednesday.
“Mr Carey was at a complete loss as to why he had been singled out for this attack.”
The judge ordered that 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 the Guild Lodge psychiatric hospital in Preston, where he is undergoing medical treatment, did not react to the decision.
“Your attitude to that treatment remains hostile and so any potential treatment and monitoring in the community would not be effective as you would not engage,” Judge Mathieson said.
“I am satisfied that you, Mr Cowen, are suffering from a mental disorder of such a nature that it is appropriate for you to be detained in hospital for medical treatment.”
Cowen will also be subject to a restriction order, meaning his discharge from hospital would require the consent of the secretary of state for justice.
