Ashley Blake speaks for the first time since conviction for pub attack
Shamed BBC newsreader Ashley Blake said he faces financial ruin after being found guilty of hitting a teenager with a wooden pole and lying to police to protect himself.
The BBC Midlands Today presenter was convicted on Monday of unlawfully wounding 17-year-old Greg Jones. He was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by throwing the pole away. He will be sentenced on September 2.
In his first interview since his conviction, Blake said the case had “crippled him” and that his career was in ruins.
The 40-year-old presenter also refused to apologise for the attack which left the teenager scarred for life and maintains that he acted in self-defence.
Blake, who featured regularly on Midlands Today and also hosted current affairs programme Inside Out, said he had spent thousands of pounds on hiring a legal team, including a QC, in the hope of proving his innocence.
Speaking to The Birmingham Post, he said he would be meeting lawyers to discuss whether to appeal against his conviction.
The attack happened after violence broke out at the end of an 18th birthday party being held at Blake’s former bar and restaurant, The Place 2B, in Sutton Coldfield on January 25.
Blake has been suspended by the BBC and is due to face an internal disciplinary hearing next week.
“It is inevitable that I will lose my job, everything I have worked so hard for. I am still in a state of shock,” he said.
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