Circus apologises to man knocked out by clown

LONDON -- A circus has apologised to a man who was knocked unconscious in Wales when a clown attempted to perform a backflip stunt with him.

In a harrowing video that 37-year-old Ben Garnham posted online, the clown picks up Garnham to flip him, but Garnham lands on his head and stops moving. Circus staff try to pick him up, moving around his arms and legs in the process. The music stops and the audience is horrified when they realise he isn't moving.

Garnham was taken to hospital but, happily, was fine, save for some bruising and swelling.

Adam Ingham, a director at Circus Zayair, told BBC Wales that they would never perform that part of the act again.

"We are all devastated. We would never wish this on anybody and we are very grateful that he is OK," Ingham said. 

The circus received heavy criticism online for how Garnham was handled following the incident. The video was also featured in UK and international media.

Ingham said he understood the criticism, and that in this case it was "a panicked response from somebody who didn't know what they were doing." He said the circus is reviewing its procedures and stopping audience participation.

Garnham was given free tickets to the circus Friday night and he went and met the clown who had done the stunt on him.

"I'm glad I could meet Ben [the clown] last night - I gave him a big hug just to reassure him, I don't have any animosity towards him and I've made a really good friend," Garnham said.

"I never expected the video to get so big, I'm glad it did from the point of view of getting the safety message over - if it saved someone from being paralysed somewhere else in the future it can only be a good thing," he said.

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