Wrestling legend Jimmy “Cry Baby” Breaks, 83, will not face a trial in a Canary Islands murder case.
It is alleged by prosecutors that Breaks punched Donna Cowley, 47, and assaulted her in the bathroom of their Gran Canaria home and then left her there while he went to watch television in 2017.
Cowley called 911 for help but died later of her injuries. Police found Breaks still watching television when they arrived on the scene.
Examining Breaks, medical officials diagnosed him with dementia while he was in prison awaiting trial. The judge overseeing the case ruled that in his current state Breaks would not be able to understand or comprehend a trial.
A group targeting violence against women backed the judge’s decision to confine Breaks to secure unit.
Breaks was facing 15 years for alleged assault and murder.
Breaks was a UK wrestling star for 28 years and a regular on ITV television.
In This Grappling Game, famed UK announcer Kent Walton noted that the “stocky, cocky” Breaks, from Bradford, “turned pro after a distinguished career as an amateur, and reigned as British Lightweight Champion until early 1967.” Before he turned to pro wrestling, Breaks had been a physical training instructor with the Duke of Wellington’s army regiment. He was trained by Bernard Murray, and mentored by Ted Beresford.
George Kidd was a frequent opponent.
The mysterious British wrestler Kendo Nagasaki, in his book, The Grapple Manual, described the original of Breaks’ nickname: “Breaks acquired his nickname by always showing a tendency for childish tantrums when he pushed opponents too far and they retaliated in a no-holds-barred style. Similarly, Jim was never short of a sharp word for opponents, referees or indeed anyone at ringside who caught his attention.”
Future British promoter Brian Dixon ran a fan club for Breaks, even if he was a villain.
Bruce Hart wrote about getting to know Breaks during a tour of England in his book Straight From the Heart. He called Breaks a “terrific” worker “who bore an uncanny resemblance in appearance and manner to Dudley Moore. It was Breaks and Alan Dennison who taught Hart to slow down on the high spots and tell a story in the ring, a lesson which Hart shared with young Stampede Wrestling talent, such as Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and Chris Benoit, when he was booking.
For a time, Breaks owned the Seconds Out pub in Wakefield, England, and he owned property on Gran Canaria.
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