He heard the verdict. The teen idol attacked the stewardess
Lee Ryan is a member of the British boyband Blue, which has sold over 15 million records worldwide. Recently, he has been in the news not for his music, but for a drunken assault on an airplane, which led to him being taken to court. The man partially admitted his guilt and heard the verdict.
The incident took place in July 2022, during a flight from Glasgow to London. Lee Ryan boarded a British Airways plane and began to behave inappropriately towards a Black stewardess. He called her a "chocolate cookie", said he wanted to have "chocolate children" with her, etc. The 40-year-old also tried to kiss the woman and grabbed her by the wrists, which ended with the police being called.
Ryan was accused of a "racist attack", verbally insulting a police officer, whom he even allegedly bit during his arrest. Initially, the star did not feel guilty, but eventually admitted to inappropriate comments and a "light grab" of a woman.
- I apologize. A member of my team is black, I am not a racist, I have had black girlfriends, mixed-race girlfriends. It was teasing, just drunken teasing, I think, there was no malice or intention to upset anyone - said the contrite.
Lee Ryan was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended, for his behavior. He must also pay a total of approximately 4,800 USD in compensation to three people who were harmed by him (the exact amounts are 510, 750, and 2500 GBP).
Lee Ryan is a star of the boy band Blue, which gained its greatest fame between 2000-2005. In 2011, he returned to the stage and represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest (11th place). The latest Blue album was released in 2022.
Privately, Ryan is in a relationship with Verity Paris, who is soon to give birth to his third child. The 40-year-old has two other children from his former wife and fiancée. In 2014, he publicly admitted in the media that he is bisexual and had an affair with his bandmate, Duncan James, at the beginning of his career.
