‘I Want Your Chocolate Children’: Boy Band Singer Lee Ryan Found Guilty of Racially Abusing Flight Attendant After Downing Bottle of Wine
Blue singer Lee Ryan arrives at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in London, charged with abusing and assaulting a member of the crew onboard a British Airways flight and assaulting a police officer at London City airport in July. (Photo: Press Association/ AP Images)
Lee Ryan, singer for English boy band Blue, has been found guilty of racially aggravated assault, assaulting a police officer and being drunk on an aircraft after appearing in Ealing Magistrates’ Court in London on Thursday, per Daily Mail.
The incident took place on July 31, 2022, on a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London. According to reports, Ryan told a flight attendant that he wanted her “chocolate children” while drunk. The 39-year-old singer and songwriter downed a full bottle of port wine in the British Airways lounge prior to the flight.
Port wine is a style of fortified red wine that originates from Portugal. It is an example of a geographically indicated alcoholic product — similar to Champagne — that has to be referred to by a different name if not made in Portugal. Port is often sweet, but can also come in dry, white or semi-dry varieties.
The flight attendant, Leah Gordon, stated that Ryan also grabbed her wrists, tried to kiss her and commented on her complexion. Before commenting on Gordon’s looks, Ryan was allegedly refused more alcohol on the flight due to his red face and “staggering,” a cabin crew member shared, per the report.
According to Daily Mail, passengers needed to intervene when Ryan grabbed Gordon’s wrists after “towering over” her, as if “leaning in” for a kiss.
When giving evidence at his trial, Gordon stated: “It felt like he was saying I was beautiful for a black person because of the way he was describing my colour,” reported The Sun.
“I was intimidated, I felt a bit embarrassed like I wasn’t doing my duty properly,” Gordon continued. “To get comments about my colour whether intentional or not, it was just unacceptable and so derogatory. I just felt like it wasn’t fair and I shouldn’t have to put up with it.”
“I don’t go to work to be assaulted or harassed.”
In court, Ryan said: “I’m sorry. My band member is black, I’m not racist, I’ve had black girlfriends, mixed-race girlfriends. It was banter, just drunk banter I suppose, there was no malice or intention to upset anyone.”
After his arrest at the London airport, Ryan bit one of the officers, Daily Mail reported, which Ryan said he did not remember.
During an interview with police, Ryan is quoted as saying he wished he could “ring her up and apologise and offer her some Blue tickets for the next tour.”
Shockingly enough, a similar string of events took place last week when two men were arrested after reportedly racially and physically abusing individuals on a TUI Airways flight from Mexico to Manchester. The two 36-year-old men may face upwards of 20 years in prison after the event, which allegedly involved a full bottle of liquor being drunk from during the flight.
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