Singer Lee Ryan, known for his role in the band Blue, has lost his appeal at the High Court concerning a conviction for assaulting a cabin crew member. The court rejected his challenge, which argued that the Crown Court judge had wrongly inferred negativity from his police interview.
Two High Court judges found no error in the Crown Court's decision. They stated that the court was entitled to weigh the accounts of both the cabin crew member, identified as Ms. Gordon, and Mr. Ryan. The judges noted an inconsistency between Ryan's initial police interview, which aligned with Gordon's allegation that he grabbed her wrists, and his later testimony in court where he claimed he only touched them.
In their ruling, the judges emphasized that the Crown Court had determined Ms. Gordon to be a consistent and compelling witness who was sober at the time of the incident. Conversely, they found Mr. Ryan's testimony to be inconsistent and noted he had been drinking at the time. Based on these findings, the court upheld the conviction.
Ryan will now return to court to be sentenced for the assault. The original conviction stemmed from an incident on a flight where he was accused of assaulting a cabin crew member.