Blue star 'broke cameras in photographers attack'
An “aggressive” pop star deliberately smashed two cameras and assaulted two photographers outside a central London nightclub, a court heard today.
Lee Ryan, star of hit boy band Blue, kicked one photographer and punched out at another as they tried to take photographs of him leaving the 10 Rooms nightclub in Piccadilly Circus.
Ryan, 20, of Vauxhall, south London, appeared before Horseferry Road Magistrates’ Court this morning charged with two counts of common assault and criminal damage.
He denies the charges
Prosecutor Mubeena Cockar-Khan told the court that the singer left the club with friends at around 3.30am in December last year.
She said there was an incident involving a group of photographers who were waiting outside as they tried to take pictures.
The prosecutor said: “He (Ryan) told them to stop, they did not, he became aggressive and deliberately smashed two cameras belonging to two of the victims.”
Mrs Cockar-Khan said the star continued to be abusive and pushed photographer Conor Nolan twice in the chest.
She said he punched out at the second photographer, David Abiaw, “rendering his camera useless”.
Mr Nolan told the court he was outside the club “on spec” because the 10 Rooms was a club used by celebrities.
He said it was his job to take photographs of celebrities which could then be sold on to newspapers or magazines.
The witness said Ryan came out of the club and was met by around five or six photographers and began walking down the street.
He said he was also followed by fans asking to have their picture taken with him.
Mr Nolan said: “He just strolled casually down the road and did not seem to be getting into a car.
“After a few minutes he said ‘If you do not stop taking pictures I will break your camera’.
“I do not know if it was meant to be directed at me.”
Mr Nolan said Ryan was with four to five friends and he continued to take photographs.
He said at one point he sensed there had been an incident with another photographer and began taking some pictures.
Mr Nolan told the court: “He (Ryan) came over to me and kicked out at me. He kicked the camera.
“The camera was at chest height, it had to be a high kick. It was pretty aggressive.”
Mr Nolan said he thought he heard Ryan say something like “I told you I would break your camera.”
The witness said the flash on his camera was knocked across the road and that he said something, possibly something abusive, to Ryan.
He told the court: “He (Ryan) came back over and said something like ‘Come on then’ and hit me in the chest.”
Mr Nolan said it may have been an open handed-type punch or kick and that Ryan then walked off.
The court heard that Ryan then got into a taxi and the photographers, guessing which direction he may be going in, took a short cut and followed him.
Mr Nolan said some of the photographers took pictures of Ryan in the back of the cab with his head in his hands.
