Queen's Olympic ceremony stunt double jailed for attacking girlfriend

A stuntman who doubled for the Queen at the London Olympics 2012 has been jailed for 18 months pushing his former girlfriend down stairs, which "shattered" her shoulder.

Skydiver Gary Connery, 53, attacked Tanya Brass in 2020.

He was previously convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent.

At Oxford Crown Court, Judge Nigel Daly said: "You show no remorse for what happened and you do not seem to accept any fault on your behalf."

The court heard Connery, from Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, had pushed Ms Brass after an argument about who should turn the light off and who should close the gate in October 2020, after both had been drinking.

She suffered a "shattered" shoulder as well as a cut to her head, the prosecution said.

In a personal statement, Ms Brass told the court: "I just want Gary to take responsibility for what he has done and how he has impacted my family.

"The impact on every aspect of my life has been enormous."

She said she felt "unsafe" to return to the house and became financially reliant on her parents.

Passing sentence, the judge said: "However [Ms Brass] was behaving she did not deserve to be thrown down stairs."

He added he could not suspend the sentence as he saw "no realistic prospect of rehabilitation".

"Throwing somebody down the stairs, as I am quite satisfied you did, can result in extremely serious injuries. In this case it resulted in injuries which were serious."

Judge Daly said he would not sentence Connery on Ms Brass' claim that he smashed her head on the banister before pushing her down stairs as the jury had not found him guilty of a charge for grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to the alleged action.

A restraining order preventing Connery from contacting the victim indefinitely was also imposed.

Connery, who had no previous convictions, performed in one of the sequences of the London 2012 opening ceremony when the Queen appeared to jump from a helicopter and parachute into the event with James Bond.

He was the stunt double who jumped out of a helicopter in the guise of the monarch in front of a global TV audience of millions.

At the time, he told the BBC it had been ''an amazing experience''.

Connery was also dubbed the "Bird Man of Henley" after he became the first person to jump out of an aeroplane without a parachute in 2012.