12 July 2023 , 12:46
1089
0
Blue singer Lee Ryan has had a charge against him dropped over a claim he assaulted a police officer after allegedly boarding a flight while drunk.
The musician, who is one-fifth of the Nineties chart-topping group Blue, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and was informed that the Crown Prosecution Service had dropped the charge. Lee, 40, had previously withdrawn his guilty plea after pleading guilty to assault by biting a police officer following an incident on a flight from Glasgow to London City Airport on July 31.
He claimed he had originally plead guilty due to "poor advice from his solicitor".
Wearing a blue suit for his appearance, the All Rise musician appeared in the dock to confirm just his name and date of birth.
"The drunkenness is as serious as the charges he has been found guilty of," said district judge Tan Ikram, before he told Lee's lawyer, Keima Payton: "The aircraft member formed the view that your client was drunk." He later added that all three charges were "intertwined".
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to fly to China for first time since 2020
Lee Ryan has had his charge of allegedly biting a police officer dropped (PA)
The incident, which Lee had no recollection of occurred after a flight from Glasgow to London City Airport (PA)In January, Ryan was found guilty of being drunk on an aircraft and racially aggravated assault of a flight attendant following an incident last year.
During an appearance at Ealing Magistrates' earlier this year, the court heard that the pop star told black flight attendant Leah Gordon "I want your chocolate children" while on the British Airways flight.
Lee will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court, although a date is yet to be confirmed.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service had claimed that he attempted to bite one of them at London City – although he said he has no recollection of this incident.
Mr Ryan had boarded a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London City Airport on July 31, 2022, after consuming a bottle of port in the airport lounge. While onboard the domestic flight, he was refused more alcohol and asked to return to his seat before making comments about flight attendant Leah Gordon.
He called the attendant "my chocolate cookie", before going on to say she could have their "chocolate children" before grabbing her wrists.
Addressing the court, Leah Gordon previously said in January that Lee had claimed she was "beautiful", before adding: "He was making comments about my complexion, you're my chocolate darling, my chocolate cookie, and I'm going to have your chocolate children. It felt like he was saying I was beautiful for a black person because of the way he was describing my colour."
She continued to claim that Lee approached her from behind, saying he "needs" a kiss from her, as she later went on to inform him he should "stay away" which is when he grabbed her wrists causing other passengers onboard to intervene.
She said: "He was towering over me like he was leaning in to give me a kiss. He said to me 'I want your chocolate children.' 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."
During the trial, Mr Ryan said: "I'm sorry.
Brit collapses and dies after 11 hours on flight from Heathrow with wife
"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."