Lee Ryan arrives at court to try to reverse his plea for biting a police officer after downing a bottle of port on a BA flight from Glasgow to London
- Blue star Lee Ryan is trying to reverse his plea for assaulting a police officer
- Incident followed racially aggravated assault on BA flight attendant last July
Blue star Lee Ryan today attempted to reverse his plea for assaulting a police officer following a racially aggravated assault on a British Airways flight attendant.
The 39-year-old singer arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for the next hearing in the case, five months on from being found guilty of racially aggravated assault after drunkenly telling the black flight attendant: ‘I want your chocolate children’.
Ryan was ‘slurring his words and staggering around’ after drinking a whole bottle of port before a BA flight from Glasgow to London City Airport on July 31 last year.
After being refused more alcohol on the plane and told to return to his seat, Ryan described Leah Gordon as a ‘chocolate cookie’ before grabbing her wrists.
Police footage showed Ryan ‘snarling’ and swearing at officers after biting one of them – resulting in an assault charge on which he was also convicted.
Blue singer Lee Ryan arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today
Ryan, pictured today, is trying to reverse his plea for assaulting a police officer in July 2022
Ryan walks into Westminster Magistrates Court after arriving today
Blue singer Ryan arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today
Ryan was found guilty in January at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in West London of series of offences.
From driving bans to alcohol struggles: Lee Ryan’s chequered past
2003: BANNED FROM DRIVING AFTER DRINK-DRIVING
Ryan was banned from driving and fined £2,250 after drink-driving.
JUNE 2008: FOUND GUILTY OF ASSAULTING A TAXI DRIVER
Ryan was fined £500 at Guildford Magistrates’ Court for an assault on a taxi driver in Oxted, Surrey.
AUGUST 2010: CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING HIS NOW EX-FIANCEE
Ryan was charged with assaulting his now ex-fiancee Samantha Miller – the mother of his son Rayn – after allegedly hitting her as they drove through London. The charge was withdrawn that month at his partner’s request.
MAY 2014: BANNED FROM DRIVING FOR TWO YEARS AFTER FAILING TO PROVIDE A SPECIMEN FOR TEST
Ryan was handed a £3,325 fine and banned from the roads for two years after failing to provide a specimen and causing £120 of criminal damage.
APRIL 2015: SINGER DECLARES HIMSELF BANKRUPT
The singer officially filed papers in Central London County Court in 2015.
AUGUST 2019: RYAN SPEAKS ABOUT STRUGGLES WITH ALCOHOL
Ryan spoke of his alcohol struggles and described himself as having been a ‘good alcoholic’ for ten years.
AUGUST 2020: BANNED FROM DRIVING FOR SIX MONTHS AFTER SPEEDING TWICE
Ryan was banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding in Sheffield in May 2019 and Eltham in South East London in August 2019.
JULY 2021: HE DENIES CLAIMS OF TRANSPHOBIA AFTER FOUL-MOUTHED ATTACK ON DRAG QUEEN
Ryan denied claims he is transphobic or homophobic after he became embroiled in a vicious spat with a drag queen Layla Zee Susan on Instagram.
AUGUST 2021: BANNED FROM DRIVING FOR 12 MONTHS
Ryan was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £660 as he appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court via remote link from Spain.
He was charged with breaking a 60mph limit twice on an A-road in August 2020. These charges were dismissed because the prosecution offered no evidence due to there being no means of proving who was driving.
But Ryan went on trial for two counts of failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver when required, and was found guilty.
APRIL 2022: COMPANY GOES BUST FOLLOWING DEBTS
Lee Bee Ltd was placed into voluntary liquidation due to owing the amount, including an estimated £15,000 to HMRC and £50,000 to Metro Bank.
JULY 2022: ARRESTED AND REMOVED FROM FLIGHT
Ryan was removed from a British Airways flight by armed police after becoming abusive to cabin crew when they refused to serve him alcohol.
These were being drunk on an aircraft, assaulting a police officer by biting him, racially aggravated common assault by beating and behaving in an abusive way towards the cabin crew member.
Today, he was at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as he attempts to reverse his guilty plea relating to assaulting the police officer.
This application has meant that his sentencing was adjourned, having been originally due to have taken place on February 24.
Previously, Ms Gordon told the court that Ryan initially called her ‘beautiful’ and put his sunglasses on her face.
She said: ‘He was making comments about my complexion, you’re my chocolate darling, my chocolate cookie, and I’m going to have your chocolate children.’
She went on: ‘It felt like he was saying I was beautiful for a black person because of the way he was describing my colour.’
Ms Gordon said Ryan later approached her from behind, saying: ‘Before I get off this plane I need a kiss from you.’
After telling him to ‘stay away’, she said he grabbed both her wrists before passengers intervened.
She said: ‘He was towering over me, like he was leaning in to give me a kiss.’
Ms Gordon told the court: ‘He said to me ‘I want your chocolate children.’
She added: ‘I was intimidated, I felt a bit embarrassed like I wasn’t doing my duty properly.
‘To get comments about my colour whether intentional or not, it was just unacceptable and so derogatory.
‘I just felt like it wasn’t fair and I shouldn’t have to put up with it. ‘I don’t go to work to be assaulted or harassed.’
Ryan, who was tearful in the dock before giving evidence, said he drank a whole bottle of port and ate cheese in the BA lounge after the flight was delayed.
He told the court of ‘annoying’ a passenger next to him by asking what book he was reading, with no recollection of what occurred after that.
The pop star went on: ‘I’m sorry. ‘My band member is black, I’m not racist, I’ve had black girlfriends, mixed-race girlfriends.
‘It was banter, just drunk banter I suppose, there was no malice or intention to upset anyone.’
He added: ‘I didn’t mean to cause any distress to anyone or be racist, it was just a poor choice of words I suppose.’
Ryan told the court his actions were merely ‘playful’ and denied the use of the word chocolate was racist.
He also claimed to have said ‘chocolate chip cookie’, adding: ‘They’re white, there was no malice in them (the comments).’
He added: ‘I am sorry that I touched her, but that’s all I did, touch her lightly, by her admission.’
He told police officers in an interview, read to the court: ‘I wish I could ring her up and apologise and offer her some Blue tickets for the next tour.’
In video footage of the arrest at the London airport, played in court, Ryan could be seen crying on the floor and repeatedly saying ‘I’ve done nothing wrong’.
He was also warned several times by PC Bryett to stop trying to bite him.
Luke Bowyer, prosecuting, said Ryan was ‘snarling’ at officers before ‘sobbing uncontrollably’.
He also told the court: ‘You’ve got a celebrity who believes he is entitled to harassing a woman.’
Mike Rainford, defending, argued no abusive language was used.
The star was seen gathering his belongings as police escorted him off the plane
Lee Ryan in the airport lounge before he was escorted off the plane and arrested
The singer spoke with police officers after he was taken off the plane
Ryan described flight attendant Leah Gordon (pictured) as a ‘chocolate cookie’
Ryan is pictured at Ealing Magistrates’ Court for a previous hearing on January 12 this year
Lee Ryan of Blue performs live on stage at The O2 in London on December 13, 2022
Another flight attendant, who also gave evidence in court, said she was approached by Ryan shortly after the plane departed.
READ MORE (from January) The All Rise and fall of Lee Ryan
Jade Smith said: ‘He told me he had a problem, that he was being harassed by other passengers, that he was famous and asked did I know who he was.’
Ryan asked to be upgraded from economy to business class but was refused as the plane was full.
Ms Smith said: ‘He was angry, saying he was a gold card holder and that he needed to be moved because of this.’
She noticed Ryan was ‘slurring his words and staggering around’ and cut him off from ordering alcohol.
Ryan followed her to the back of the plane and asked for another drink but was refused, she said.
He told her ‘stop being boring, let’s have a drink’, the court heard.
Ryan, who said he lives in Spain, was granted unconditional bail following his conviction in January.
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