Blue singer Lee Ryan wins bid to withdraw guilty plea for 'drunkenly assaulting police officer'

Blue singer Lee Ryan has won his bid to withdraw his guilty plea drunkenly assaulting a police officer as he was arrested for a racially aggravated assault.

Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Mr Ryan appealed to overturn the plea, claiming he had been "made to" plead guilty by his lawyer.

Ruling Mr Ryan could withdraw the plea on Tuesday, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said Mr Ryan's subsequent Asperger's diagnosis made the case "slightly different".

In January, the 39-year-old was found guilty at Ealing Magistrates’ Court of the racially aggravated assault of a female cabin crew member while drunk on a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London on 31 July 2022 while pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer by biting him.

A court heard how the singer was “slurring his words and staggering around” after drinking a bottle of port before boarding.

After being refused more alcohol on the plane and told to return to his seat, Mr Ryan made comments about flight attendant Leah Gordon’s looks, calling her a “chocolate cookie” before grabbing her wrists.

As officers attempted to arrest Mr Ryan on his arrival at the airport, Mr Ryan was seen “snarling” and swearing at a Pc Bryett after allegedly biting a Pc.

But appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, he appealed to overturn the plea, claiming he had received bad advice from his lawyer Mike Rainford.

Keima Payton, representing Mr Ryan, told a magistrate that her client suffered from autistic spectrum disorder and had “slow processing skills” leading to “impairments in understanding what is said to him”, according to a psychological report.

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

Ms Payton said that body-worn footage which might have helped Mr Ryan claim self-defence had not been presented to him until shortly before his court appearance, meaning he was unable to properly consider it.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, Mr Ryan said he initially denied assaulting the police officer at a hearing in November where he admitted to being drunk on an aircraft, saying: “I didn’t do it – I didn’t bite him. That’s why I pleaded not guilty.”

He said that, in the weeks which followed, his solicitor assured him that the assault charge would be dropped before the next hearing.

“I found him quite dismissive and rude, quite condescending,” Mr Ryan said.

On the morning of his next hearing in January, scheduled for trial, he said he was shown a video showing him in an altercation with a police officer which he had been “begging” Mr Rainford to see “for months”.

He said his solicitor made him feel like he had “no choice” but to plead guilty after watching the video.

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

“It had become very clear that he either didn’t care or just wasn’t prepared.”

Describing the moment he pleaded guilty, he said: “I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth.

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

Deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said: “There is a feature of this case that makes it slightly different.

“Mr Ryan was diagnosed with ADHD. He has subsequently been diagnosed with Asperger’s.

“One of the challenges that people with high-functioning autism can have is slow processing of information and responding inappropriately to what is said.

“Mr Ryan was advised. He received that advice as an instruction.

“In these circumstances I am in real doubt as to whether it was an informed admission of guilt or a following of instructions.

“It would be unjust not to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea.”

Ryan entered a second not guilty plea at the hearing and elected to be put on trial.

A decision on whether or not Ryan will face a trial will be made at a fresh hearing in July.

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