Latest news with #BenStarr
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Man admits killing brother in drunken fight at Swindon motocross
A man has admitted killing his brother with a single punch during a drunken Starr, 34, of Woodside Avenue in Derbyshire, admitted the manslaughter of his brother Lee Starr during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court fatal fight, witnessed by the men's father, broke out when the brothers were at the Foxhill motocross event in Swindon in August last who was in his 30s, suffered a fatal head injury and later died in hospital. The court was told the men's father witnessed Lee punch Starr twice before both men ended up on the ground, with Starr restraining his pair were separated and Lee directed a "kick and a punch" towards Starr, their father told Jones, defending, said Starr told police the kick and punch "connected with him" but witnesses at the scene said the blows "did not connect".Starr was initially charged with grievous bodily harm with intent but was later charged with murder and Jones said Starr admitted manslaughter on the basis he threw a single punch after being separated from his brother, and after his brother's attempt to kick and punch him. 'Intoxicated' "Both the defendant and his brother were intoxicated at the relevant time," he experts were not able to determine the level of force Starr used when he punched his brother, the court Jones said: "It is a tragic case, not least because those who have attended in support of the defendant today are those who have been so affected by the consequence of the alleged incident." Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said the guilty plea to manslaughter was "acceptable" to the Crown Prosecution Service."We accept of course this was a fight between two brothers," he said."Lee certainly called his brother out, they wrestled on the floor and there were blows made by Lee towards Ben and vice versa."The two independent witnesses say that the fight had finished by that stage, so self-defence didn't arise."It was in the context of that - that it was a blow out of anger or indeed another reason, but certainly not self-defence."
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Drunken fight between brothers ended in tragedy after ‘one punch', court hears
A drunken fight between two brothers ended in tragedy when one of them was fatally punched and died, a court has heard. Ben Starr, 34, inflicted a single fatal blow to his brother Lee at a motocross event in Swindon in August last year. Lee Starr, who was in his 30s, suffered a fatal head injury at the Foxhill motocross event in Upper Wanborough and died later in hospital. Bristol Crown Court heard his brother was initially charged with grievous bodily harm with intent but was later charged with murder and manslaughter. After asking for a 'Goodyear Indication' from a judge – the maximum sentence he could receive – Ben Starr pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was accepted by the Crown. Sam Jones, defending, said: 'This case on the facts is, in any view, a tragic case. 'It is a tragic case not least because those who have attended in support of the defendant today are those who have been so affected by the consequence of the alleged incident. 'Both the defendant and his brother were intoxicated at the relevant time. 'One of the eyewitnesses to the incident, the defendant's father, refers to in his witness statement of Lee after having punched his brother on two occasions and after the two of them end up on the ground, with the defendant restraining his brother, after which they are separated, he sees Lee direct a kick and a punch towards the defendant. 'The defendant in his own interview with the police describes that kick and punch connecting with him. 'But it is accepted on his behalf that the only evidence of those blows connecting come from him. 'The witnesses at the scene see a kick and a punch directed towards him but not connect with him. 'The basis of plea put forward on the defendant's behalf is that after the two are separated and after the attempted kick and punch are thrown, the defendant then accepts in that context throwing the single punch which he did, which caused the injury.' Mr Jones said medical experts were not able to determine the level of force used when the defendant punched his brother. 'The medical professionals are not able to indicate the level of force used, but that the punch caused bruising to the jaw of Lee, not of sufficient force to cause any fracturing,' he said. 'A punch of moderate force, possibly a moderately forceful punch, could have generated the reaction of Lee's head in response to being punched which then triggered the fatal injury.' Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said the guilty plea to manslaughter was acceptable. 'We accept of course this was a fight between two brothers,' he said. 'Lee certainly called his brother out, they wrestled on the floor and there were blows made by Lee towards Ben and vice versa. 'The two independent witnesses say that the fight had finished by that stage, so self-defence didn't arise. 'It was in the context of that that it was a blow out of anger or indeed another reason but certainly not self-defence.' Starr, of Woodside Avenue, Ripley, Derbyshire, was released on conditional bail by Judge Peter Blair KC, the Recorder of Bristol, until he is sentenced on June 26.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Telegraph
Man dies after drunken fight with brother
A man died after a drunken fight with his brother at a motocross event, a court has heard. Ben Starr, 34, inflicted a single fatal blow to his brother Lee in Swindon in August last year. Lee Starr, who was in his 30s, suffered a fatal head injury at the Foxhill motocross event in Upper Wanborough and died later in hospital. Bristol Crown Court heard his brother was initially charged with grievous bodily harm with intent but was later charged with murder and manslaughter. After asking for a 'Goodyear Indication' from a judge – an indication of the maximum sentence he could receive – Ben Starr pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was accepted. The brothers' father, who witnessed the brawl, said Lee had landed two punches before the pair ended up wrestling on the ground. Eyewitnesses said after the pair separated, Lee directed a punch and a kick at his brother. The defendant said the strikes had made a connection but witnesses contest this account. It was then that Ben threw a final fatal punch. 'Intoxicated at the relevant time' Sam Jones, defending, said: 'It is a tragic case not least because those who have attended in support of the defendant today are those who have been so affected by the consequence of the alleged incident. 'Both the defendant and his brother were intoxicated at the relevant time.' Mr Jones said medical experts were not able to determine the level of force used when the defendant punched his brother, but noted that the punch caused bruising to Lee's jaw without fracturing the bone. 'A punch of moderate force, possibly a moderately forceful punch, could have generated the reaction of Lee's head in response to being punched which then triggered the fatal injury,' he said. Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said the guilty plea to manslaughter was acceptable. 'We accept of course this was a fight between two brothers,' he said. 'Lee certainly called his brother out, they wrestled on the floor and there were blows made by Lee towards Ben and vice versa. 'The two independent witnesses say that the fight had finished by that stage, so self-defence didn't arise. 'It was in the context of that, that it was a blow out of anger or indeed another reason but certainly not self-defence.' Starr, of Ripley, Derbyshire, was released on conditional bail by Judge Peter Blair KC, the Recorder of Bristol, until he is sentenced on June 26.
Stuff.tv
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
French-flavoured RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's drama and battles had me on the edge of my seat
Stuff Verdict One of the freshest RPGs in years that puts tradition and modernity in perfect harmony. Clair Obscur is an astonishing debut. Quelle magnifique! Pros Gorgeous visual design and soundtrack Brilliant characters and performances Intense and rewarding battle system Cons Lack of mini-map Introduction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an RPG you could easily mistake for a Final Fantasy entry, had that series not gone out of its way to uproot itself from its traditions. Don't get me wrong, Final Fantasy XVI was an action-paced spectacle – and its charismatic lead voice actor Ben Starr also has a role in this new game – but also a divisive one. Many fans found its Game of Thrones-inspired mature tone robbed the series of its wondrous and magical side, while the emphasis on a singular protagonist was at odds with a genre that usually gives you a whole party of characters to invest in. That's not to say new France-based studio Sandfall Interactive's debut effort errs on the side of nostalgia. Rather that it retains a lot of the structure of classic PS1-era Square RPGs, augmented with modern action mechanics and the kind of to-die-for graphics you used to only see in FMV cutscenes. While it wears its Japanese inspirations on its sleeve, as you might infer from the title, it also stands out by being proudly and exceptionally French. Got your number Set in Lumiere, a kind of alternate Paris but on an island in a state of literal collapse, as can be seen by an Eiffel Tower torn apart yet hanging in suspended animation, this is a world where everyone's lives are literally numbered. Each year on a distant continent, a god-like being known as the Paintress paints a number that kills everyone of that age. As this ritual continues counting down, those who arrive at that number bid their loved ones goodbye before disappearing into nothing but decaying petals, while those whose number is up set out on an expedition to stop the Paintress. And so this brings us to the titular Expedition 33, consisting of a group of 32 year-olds including Gustave, who's just witnessed his ex snuffed out before his eyes, as well as his adoptive younger sister Maelle, who decides to join this suicide mission despite being half the age of the other expeditioners – ironically the age that most wide-eyed heroes would usually be in most RPGs of this sort. Everyone else in this party has lost someone, giving everything a very mournful tone but also a defiant determination to continue the mission whatever the cost. There are big emotions at play here then. It's helped by some brilliant performances from actors coming from both screen (Charlie Cox, Andy Serkis) and voice over (not one, not two but three from the acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3), which the photorealistic visuals also do justice (a triumphant showcase of Unreal Engine 5 for a relatively small team), and a sweeping heart-aching soundtrack that I could easily listen to while weeping in an opera theatre. But the strongest emotions comes from the actual gameplay, where you really will be fighting for your life in every battle as if you were playing a hardcore Dark Souls game. Active time parry Clair Obscur taps into plenty of PS1-era Final Fantasy tropes, whether that's a party limited to just three active characters fighting in turn-based battles, a diorama-sized world map you can run around on, and quirky creatures – though some of the eccentricities might evoke more of Square Enix's Nier series. It also keeps its biggest secrets and challenges to the endgame of an otherwise digestible 30-hour main story. Yet the turn-based battles are far from a pedestrian affair. Forget Final Fantasy's Active Time Battle system. These are just active, period. You could compare them to the action-based mechanics in Paper Mario, where a well-timed button press makes an attack stronger or reduces damage but that doesn't do it justice. What Clair Obscur does is add dodge and parry mechanics from hardcore action RPGs, which in theory means it's possible to play through an entire game without getting hit. Of course it's also ridiculously tough to do so. It really is no gimmick because enemies hit hard, so you do not just wait your turn to get hit; you need to stay alert all the time. What that means is instead of fighting a lot of random battles that you eventually switch off from, every battle matters. You can't just spam the same attacks, also because each party member's skills require accruing points for, and which you can earn when successfully parrying. There are also traditional mechanics like targeting elemental weaknesses and even the ability to free aim a gun to target enemy weak points, but memorising attack patterns when it's the enemy's turn is vital. They can get agonisingly demanding as some enemies have pretty long combos. Getting out of rhythm means it's easy to get caught by the next attack. It's dispiriting when a party member collapses only for the enemy to still give you a kicking with the remainder of its combo string. You can opt for an easier 'story' mode, but you only receive a little less damage while the dodging and parry window creaks open a bit more, so you're not getting a free pass. When you do get those parries down it is just so enormously satisfying when you or the whole party answer with a counter attack. It becomes the best way to get through these battles faster since you're dealing damage outside of your own turns, and as you level up, it's not rare to see those damage numbers reaching ridiculous digits. They're not just well-earned victories but well-rewarded in XP, even more so if you can get through a battle completely unscathed. Expedition 101 Despite also being a relatively more compact RPG compared to the bloated 100+ hour behemoths, there's still plenty of mysteries to discover in Clair Obscur, namely a mansion that you'll find yourself returning to from different doors throughout your journey. Most intriguing are final entries of journals penned from past failed expeditions, while you'll also notice the checkpoints you come across to rest and level up are also banners left by previous expeditions with their number displayed. What would have been nice however is if there was a mini-map or some kind of way point system when it came to exploring dungeons as I often found myself getting lost. These environments of impossible vistas may look wondrous but they don't always have the most distinct landmarks. That may well be to capture the sense of discovery in old-school RPGs but there's a difference between exploring a pre-rendered backdrop with a fixed perspective usually from above compared to having the camera right down behind you. It's a minor gripe though when the rest of the game is of such a high exquisite caliber. And of course what you'll want to discover for yourself is the way its story, which has many shocking twists and turns but also captivates you with performances that are naturalistic and nuanced. It's not all deadly serious and despite many battles often leaving your expeditioners' faces stained with dirt and blood, they can still lighten the tone with some sarky banter and the occasional silliness. It's indeed a game that will make you feel a whole breadth of emotions. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 verdict Sandfall Interactive hasn't just taken the foundations of classic RPGs and given it a new paint job. Instead, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is imbued with a captivating and grown-up story brought to life by a star-studded cast and a tough but rewarding battle system that you'll be compelled to persevere with to see how this expedition's fate plays out. With such a confident and triumphant debut as this, it surely won't be this studio's final fantasy. Stuff Says… Score: 5/5 One of the freshest RPGs in years that puts tradition and modernity in perfect harmony. Quelle magnifique! Pros Gorgeous visual design and soundtrack Brilliant characters and performances Intense and rewarding battle system Cons Lack of mini-map
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bafta games awards 2025: full list of winners
In a video game year dominated by dark, bloody fantasy adventures – and continued job losses and studio closures – it was a cute robot that stole the night at the 2025 Bafta video game awards. Sony's family-friendly platformer Astro Bot won in five categories at yesterday evening's ceremony including best game and game design. The rest of the awards were evenly spread across a range of Triple A and independent titles. Oil rig thriller Still Wakes the Deep was the next biggest winner with three awards: new intellectual property, performer in a leading role and performer in a supporting role. Clearly actors looking for Bafta-winning roles need look no further than the North Sea. The only other multiple winner was online shooter Helldivers 2 which won in multiplayer and music. The night's most nominated title, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, was victorious in just the one category: technical achievement. Elsewhere, the British game award was taken by perhaps the most British game ever made, the Yorkshire-based adventure Thank Goodness You're Here. Smash hit card puzzler Balatro may only have won a single award – debut game – but it was surely also victorious in the non-existent best acceptance speech of the night category, thanks to actor Ben Starr's appearance in full jester make-up and three-pronged hat. There were a couple of surprise triumphs. Hardcore role-playing adventure Metaphor: ReFantazio won in the highly competitive narrative category, while sumptuous side-scrolling platformer Neva claimed artistic achievement and Vampire Survivors swooped in for Evolving game. The game beyond entertainment award went to Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a magical adventure inspired by the death of creative lead Abubakar Salim's father and based on Bantu mythologies. Finally the Bafta fellowship was awarded to legendary soundtrack composer Yoko Shimomura, who has scored games such as Street Fighter II, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV. 'Music has always been there with me, when things were sad or when I was filled with anger, shifting my mood from negative to positive,' she said in her acceptance speech. 'I've sometimes felt I have no talent for music, when I've been unable to write or play in the way I wanted. But now I am working in my dream job, writing music for the games I love.' Animation Astro Bot Artistic achievement Neva Audio achievement Astro Bot Best game Astro Bot British game Thank Goodness You're Here Debut game Balatro Evolving game Vampire Survivors Family Astro Bot Game beyond entertainment Tales of Kenzera: Zau Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion Game design Astro Bot Multiplayer Helldivers 2 Music Helldivers 2 Narrative Metaphor: ReFantazio New intellectual property Still Wakes the Deep Performer in a leading role Alec Newman, Caz McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep Performer in a supporting role Karen Dunbar, Finlay in Still Wakes the Deep Technical achievement Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Bafta fellowship Yoko Shimomura
