Former Countdown champion given indefinite hospital order after stabbing rival at Blackpool fan event
John Cowen attacked Thomas Carey at a Blackpool social club last September.
John Cowen, a former Countdown champion, has been given an indefinite hospital order after stabbing rival Thomas Carey during a fan club tournament in Blackpool last year.
The attack occurred on 14th September 2024 at the Wainwright Social Club where fans and former contestants of the Channel 4 quiz show had gathered.
Preston Crown Court heard how Cowen, 31, ran across the venue armed with a knife before lunging at Mr Carey, who sustained a stab wound to his left bicep.
Prosecutor Rosalind Scott Bell described CCTV footage showing Cowen entering the room just after 11.30am with a knife visible in his left hand. The footage captured Cowen running towards Mr Carey and plunging the knife across a table.
Mr Carey managed to grab Cowen’s wrist to stop the assault and was later treated in hospital.
When Cowen was arrested he was searched and found to have another kitchen knife in his pocket, the court heard.
Mrs Scott Bell said the alleged victim had been a member of the fan club since 2011 and knew Cowen from other Countdown events.
Cowen was found unfit to stand trial due to serious mental illness and was absent during the hearing.
As a result, the jury was asked to establish whether he committed the offences as alleged rather than deliberate on guilt.
The 31-year-old will only be released when it's deemed safe, and will be treated for schizophrenia.
He 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.