Dustin Lance Black’s UK Assault Case Dismissed

Patrick Hipes
·1 min read
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A UK assault trial for Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black was dismissed by a judge Wednesday after the trial got underway.

The judge, Louisa Ciecióra of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, ruled that there was inconsistent and insufficient evidence that BBC3 presenter Teddy Edwardes was the victim of an assault in an altercation with Black at a Soho nightclub in August 2022.

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The ruling, reported by the Daily Mail, meant that Black and his husband, Olympic diver Tom Daley, did not have to take the stand.

According to London’s Metropolitan Police, officers were called to the Freedom nightclub in London’s Soho district after midnight in August last year following reports of “an altercation” at the bar between a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s. Black had reportedly grabbed Edwardes’ wrist and spilled her drink, after which she allegedly hit him in the head as Daley looked on.

Black, who won the Best Screenplay Oscar for 2008’s Milk, was charged with common assault and pleaded not guilty in April. His lawyers said Edwardes’ hit resulted in a concussion.

The Daily Mail said the ruling came after CCTV footage of the incident was played in court.

“I am pleased that the judge saw the truth today and ruled in my favor,” Black said today after the dismissal. “As the evidence has proven, and I have always maintained, I am completely innocent, and in fact was the victim in this case of a serious assault. I am relieved this unfortunate matter is now over.”

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