Blue star Lee Ryan appears in court as he withdraws guilty plea for ‘drunkenly assaulting police officer’

Blue member Lee Ryan made an appearance in court today where he successfully applied to withdraw his guilty plea for drunkenly assaulting a police officer as he was arrested for abusing a black flight attendant.

A hearing in January was told the popstar, 39, was “slurring his words and staggering around” after drinking a bottle of port before a British Airways 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 made comments about flight attendant Leah Gordon’s looks, calling her a “chocolate cookie”, before grabbing her wrists.

Police footage showed Ryan “snarling” and swearing after allegedly trying to bite a Pc Bryett as officers attempted to arrest him on his arrival at the airport. He was found guilty at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in January of racially aggravated common assault by beating and behaving in an abusive way towards the cabin crew member. He pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer by biting him.

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But, appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, Ryan was told it would be “unjust” for him not to be allowed to withdraw the guilty plea after he claimed he received bad advice from his solicitor Mike Rainford. Keima Payton, representing Ryan, earlier said her client has autistic spectrum disorder and “slow processing skills”, leading to “impairments in understanding what is said to him”, according to a psychological report.

She said text messages sent by Ryan on the day of the hearing showed he was made to feel like he “had to” plead guilty by Mr Rainford, “even though he (Pc Bryett) had me by the neck”. Giving evidence on