Blue star Lee Ryan given suspended jail term for BA cabin crew abuse

The offences happened when Ryan was drunk on a plane on 31 July last year

Blue star Lee Ryan has been handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence for racially abusing a cabin crew member on a British Airways flight.

Ryan, 40, was found guilty in January of racially aggravated common assault by beating and behaving in an abusive way towards the cabin crew member.

He had earlier admitted being drunk on the flight from Glasgow to London after drinking a bottle of port.

For that offence he was handed a concurrent four-month suspended term.

Isleworth Crown Court heard the boyband member had been "slurring his words and staggering around" on the flight.

At a previous hearing, Ealing Magistrates Court heard Ryan made comments about the looks and complexion of a cabin crew member, and he told her he was going to have her children.

"It felt like he was saying I was beautiful for a black person because of the way he was describing my colour," the crew member told the court.

The singer was ordered to pay £2,500 compensation to the cabin crew member

She went on to say that Ryan later approached her from behind, telling her: "Before I get off this plane I need a kiss from you."

The court heard that although she told him to "stay away", he grabbed both her wrists before passengers intervened.

She said: "He was towering over me, like he was leaning in to give me a kiss."

Sentencing the singer on Thursday, Judge Nicholas Wood said while the incident only lasted 10 or 15 minutes, "it seemed like a lifetime for everybody on that plane".

The judge said while some of the language used by Ryan was commonplace in the "entertainment industry", it had "no place on an aircraft, being directed at cabin crew".

Blue had three number one singles between 2001 and 2003

Having seen psychological assessments of Ryan, and heard he has high functioning autistic spectrum disorder, Judge Wood concluded he did not pose an ongoing risk to the public.

The judge ordered Ryan to pay £2,500 compensation to the cabin crew member, £750 to another member of the cabin crew, and £510 in costs.

It comes after Ryan had a charge against him dropped on 12 July over a claim he assaulted a police officer, following a successful application to withdraw a guilty plea.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]