'Coronation Street star almost blinded me – ITV soap needs to make decision'

Daily Mirror

18-05-2025

Coronation Street newcomer James Cartwright, who joined the soap as scaffolder Theo Silverton was found guilty of grievous bodily harm years before his role in the ITV soap
Coronation Street's James Cartwright, who recently joined the ITV soap as scaffolder Theo Silverton, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm before landing his role on the soap.
The star left a man with a fractured eye socket in a nightclub in June 2012 - and was given an 18-month jail term, suspended for a year. 'I don't know what possessed you to act in the way you did," the judge said while passing the sentence. 'You punched him very hard in the face for little or no reason.'
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James joined the ITV soap earlier this year, as he became close to Todd Grimshaw. However, things took a turn when it was revealed the scaffolder had a secret wife and two children.
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Phil Mason has now spoken out, telling The Sun: 'It's sickening that a man with a violent criminal past has a starring role in one of Britain's biggest soaps. ITV needs to explain why they've given this man a job."
Continuing, he said: "ITV needs to decide whether having him on screen sends out the right message. I don't want to see him on the telly in my living room after what he did to me and what he put me through.'
Phil continued by saying James is seen as "a charmer" by viewers, "when in reality he attacked me for no reason and could have blinded me, or worse."
Recalling the night, the dad of one, who was on a night out with his football team at Applejax nightspot in Chorley, claimed he had "no interaction" with Cartwright, who was "standing at the bar by himself."
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"The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I didn't actually see it coming. I must have been knocked out," he told the publication.
Phil was then taken to A&E where he was told he had a fractured eye socket and his "left eye had sunk". He then expressed it was "only luck" that he escaped without a more serious injury.
Investigating officers told Phil that the actor had initially claimed to be acting in self-defence due to feeling threatened. He later denied one count of grievous bodily harm at Preston Crown Court in 2013.
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Cartwright claimed to have acted in self-defence but was convicted by a jury. Alongside the suspended sentence, the actor was given a year's supervision and told to pay £2,000 in compensation to the victim and another £2,000 for legal costs.
On top of this, the star was made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. During the trial, the CCTV footage of the attack was played to the jury. Phil told the publication that the attack affected him "for a long time" afterwards.
A spokesperson for the star told the publication: 'This is an incident which took place a long time ago. James has always regretted his reaction. Violence is never the answer.' An ITV source also told the Sun that "they were not aware of Cartwright's conviction as it was spent."
Coronation Street isn't the actor's first big role. The actor played Nathan on CBBC's Tracy Beaker, taking on the role for 40 episodes from 2003 to 2004. He's also had roles on Downton Abbey as Tony Sellick and lent his voice to The Archers playing Harrison Burns.
The Mirror has contacted ITV and a representative of James Cartwright for comment.