A former Strictly star has been handed a suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of racially abusing a flight attendant.
The incident took place last year, during a flight between Glasgow and London.
Strictly star Lee Ryan handed suspended jail sentence
Lee Ryan, who appeared on Strictly back in 2018 – has been handed a 12-month suspended jail sentence.
His sentencing comes after he was found guilty of racially aggravated common assault by beating and behaving in an abusive way.
The Blue star was found guilty back in January for the incident that took place last summer on a flight from Glasgow to London.
He was also handed a concurrent 4-month suspended sentence after admitting to being drunk on the flight.
The incident, which took place on July 31, 2022, Lee made comments about the complexion of a cabin crew member. He also told her that she was going to have his 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 previously told court.
Lee Ryan sentenced
The crewmember then went on to say that Lee, who was drunk, had come behind her, demanding a kiss.
The court heard how, despite being told to “stay away”, Lee grabbed her wrists. However, other passengers intervened.
“He was towering over me, like he was leaning in to give me a kiss,” the crewmember said.
Sentencing the singer today (Thursday, September 28), Judge Nicholas Wood said that while the incident only took place over a 10-15 minute period, “it seemed like a lifetime for everybody on that plane”.
Strictly star Lee Ryan slapped with suspended prison sentence
The judge then went on to say that while some of the language used by Lee was commonplace in the “entertainment industry”, it had “no place on an aircraft, being directed at cabin crew.
After seeing psychological assessments of Leep, and hearing he has high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder, Judge Wood concluded that the singer did not pose an ongoing risk to the public.
Lee was ordered to pay £2,500 compensation to the cabin crew member. He also has to pay £750 to another member of the cabin crew and £510 in costs.
When asked how the sentencing went later, Lee told a reporter: “Oh, it was terrific, thank you very much”.
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