‘Queen’s stunt double’ jailed for 18 months after pushing his girlfriend down stairs

A stuntman who jumped from a helicopter while doubling for the Queen at the London Olympics will serve 18 months in jail after he ‘lost his temper’ and pushed his former girlfriend down the stairs.

Gary Connery, 53, who parachuted into the 2012 opening ceremony dressed as the monarch, was convicted of grievous bodily harm in a case of domestic violence. 

Mr Connery, of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, smashed the head of his then-partner, Tanya Brass, against a banister before shoving her down the stairs during the second lockdown.

She suffered a broken shoulder as well as a cut to her head, after the couple, who had been drinking wine, had a row about who would turn off a light and shut a gate.

The judge, during sentencing Tuesday, argued Mr Connery showed ‘absolutely no remorse’ for injuring Ms Brass and has not accepted fault in the incident.

Mr Connery, who stood in the dock at Oxford Crown Court Tuesday – wearing a white shirt and a pink, orange and yellow-striped tie – blinked 13 times as he heard the sentence pronounced, before turning to look at the public gallery.

He was hit with 18 months imprisonment and will have to serve half of this time before he is made eligible for parole. He was also made subject to a restraining order which remains in place until further order. 

The October 2020 attack followed an argument between the couple and left Ms Brass suffering with a ‘shattered’ shoulder and a cut above her eye. 

‘This is a nasty allegation of domestic violence. The vast, vast majority of those types of cases go on behind closed doors, behind curtains, away from prying eyes,’ Jonathan Stone had previously told the jury.

‘You have heard a number of character witnesses speak of Mr Connery in glowing terms. I have no doubt he is a lovely chap, at work, down the pub, on the golf course.

‘But none of the character referees have said that they peered through the window while the defendant and Ms Brass are home alone, when he holds all the cards.’

A jury also heard how, after she had landed at the bottom of the staircase, he had told his stricken partner: ‘Instant karma.’

Mr Connery himself later admitted to the police that he made the comment.

In a statement read to the court, Ms Brass, who was not present in courtroom, said: ‘The assault by Gary has also had a massive impact on me, and I still haven’t fully recovered to this day.

‘The assault has also had a massive impact on my mental health. I am seeing a councillor and I don’t know how I would have gone through this without their support. I want Gary to take responsibility for what he has done.’

Mr Connery was taken to trial over the attack against Ms Brass – who was on prescribed medication for Bipolar Disorder at the time – where he was cleared of grievous bodily harm with intent, but was convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent.

As such, the judge decided against sentencing him in relation to the accusation that he smashed her head against the banister, stating it was not clear if the jury believed this aspect of the case to have taken place.

The defence, Sarah Caroline O’Kane, argued Mr Connery was a ‘man of previous good character’ who had no previous convictions whatsoever.

‘I would submit in the circumstances of the jury this was an impulsive, spontaneous, short-lived incident on the stairs as a result of an argument over who would switch off the light and who would shut the gate,’ she said.

‘While it was an unattractive injury, it was not a grave or a permanent, irreversible one. Your honour heard from witnesses who speak highly of him and from in terms of his professional life, how they value him as someone they can turn to. I hope that speaks to Mr Connery’s character.’

She also claimed the victim had been in contact with Mr Connery following his conviction. It included a recorded conversation between the former couple, which the lawyer said ‘raised certain questions’ about the necessity of the restraining order requested by the prosecution as well as her ‘credibility and her truthfulness’. 

Ms O’Kane went on to say the incident has had an impact on Mr Connery’s career.

‘This case has attracted a lot of publicity which has had an impact on his work. It is a unique field of work and as a result of the proceeds of the verdict, his phone isn’t ringing the way it once was. This has had a huge impact on him,’ the barrister added.

Judge Nigel Daly slammed Mr Connery for his response to the incident, saying: ‘It is clear you have shown no remorse for what happened as you accepted no responsibility on your part. You still present a danger to the public. I have read the pre-sentence report and I see no realistic prospect of rehabilitation.’

‘However she was behaving, she did not deserve to be pushed down the stairs.. That could result in extremely serious injuries. In this case, it shattered her upper arm, moving toward the shoulder, and also another injury to her head.

He said the ‘domestic context’ of the incident was an ‘aggravating feature’ as it left the victim ‘vulnerable.’

The judge added: ‘It is clear you have shown no remorse for what happened as you accepted no responsibility on your part. You still present a danger to the public. I have read the pre-sentence report and I see no realistic prospect of rehabilitation.’

Mr Connery is best known for his stunt during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics the Queen embarked on a secret mission with James Bond, played by Daniel Craig. 

Wearing a salmon dress similar to the one worn by the Queen during the opening ceremony, Connery jumped from 800 ft above the stadium, deploying his parachute at 500 ft.

Shortly afterwards, the real Queen entered the arena.

Connery spent months training in secret for the jump, landing on a nearby bridge.