Blue singer Lee Ryan guilty of racially aggravated assault
Lee Ryan has been convicted by a London court (John Phillips/Getty Images)
Blue singer Lee Ryan has been found guilty of the racially aggravated assault of a female British Airways cabin crew member.
The 39-year-old singer, who shot to fame in 2001 with the boyband Blue, was convicted at Ealing Magistrates Court.
The court heard the star had drunk an entire bottle of port before boarding a flight from Glasgow to London July 31 last year.
The singer was said to have been “slurring” his words and “staggering around” prior to boarding and was refused alcohol once he was on the plane.
Sky News reported Ryan then told his victim “I want your chocolate children” and called her a “chocolate cookie”, before grabbing her wrist.
Speaking in court, the woman 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.”
Ryan, who denied the charge, described his actions as “playful” and denied the phrase “chocolate” was racist.
“Do you know who I am?”
During the hearing, another flight attendant said Ryan approached her and asked to be upgraded to business class from economy.
She told the court his request was denied because the plane was full.
“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.
“He was angry, saying he was a gold-card holder and that he needed to be moved because of this,” the BBC reported.
The boyband star was also found guilty of being drunk on an aircraft, assaulting a police officer and behaving in an abusive way towards the crew member.
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