Blue singer Lee Ryan appeals to overturn police officer assault conviction

Singer Lee Ryan has appealed in opposition to his conviction for drunkenly assaulting a police officer.

The 39-year-old singer allegedly bit a police officer throughout his arrest for racially assaulting a black flight attendant on a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London City Airport on 31 July final yr.

Ryan – who was “slurring his words and staggering around” after consuming a bottle of port earlier than boarding the aircraft – known as Leah Gordon a “chocolate cookie”, earlier than grabbing her by the wrists and saying: “I want your chocolate children.”

During his arrest at London City Airport, footage confirmed Ryan “snarling” and swearing at a PC Bryett after allegedly biting an officer as they tried to arrest him.

He was discovered responsible in January of racially aggravated frequent assault by beating and behaving in an abusive method in direction of the cabin crew member – and pleaded responsible to assaulting a police officer by biting him.

But at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, he appealed to overturn the plea, saying he had been given unhealthy recommendation from his solicitor Mike Rainford.

Ryan mentioned he was appearing in self-defence, when requested if he assaulted PC Bryett.

He mentioned: “Who is that guy that died recently – George Floyd – because a police officer choked him?

“That’s what he did to me – he choked me. He tried to strangle me.”

‘He had me by the neck’

Ryan claimed that Mr Rainford made him really feel like he “had to” plead responsible, “even though he [PC Bryett] had me by the neck”.

Keima Payton, representing the singer, informed a Justice of the Peace that her consumer suffered from autistic spectrum dysfunction and had “slow processing skills” resulting in “impairments in understanding what is said to him”, in keeping with a psychological report.

Giving proof, Ryan mentioned he initially denied assaulting the police officer at a listening to in November the place he admitted to being drunk on an plane, saying: “I didn’t do it – I didn’t bite him. That’s why I pleaded not guilty.”

On the morning of the following listening to in January, he mentioned he was proven a video of him in an altercation with a police officer which he had been “begging” Mr Rainford to see “for months”.

“I asked him if there was more time because it felt so rushed, and he said there was no time,” Ryan informed the court docket.

“It had become very clear that he either didn’t care or just wasn’t prepared. I realised Mike wasn’t great. He wasn’t doing his job properly – there were warning signs.”

Describing the second he pleaded responsible, he mentioned: “I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth.

“There was no conviction – it wasn’t true. I used to be being made to do it.”

The listening to continues.

Ryan shot to fame in 2001 with the boyband Blue.

Their debut tune All Rise reached quantity 4 within the UK singles chart and topped the charts in New Zealand.