Cryer pleads 'not guilty' as Twitter saga continues - The Courier - February 20th

Newcastle Law student, Josh Cryer, denies public order charges against him at Magistrates Court

Illustration: Emma Rawsthorne

Third-year law student Josh Cryer has denied racially abusing Stan Collymore on Twitter.

The former Intra Mural football captain appeared before Newcastle magistrates on February 14th with a public order offence after the the ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa footballer reported the incident to Staffordshire Police.

Cryer, who was in attendance with members of his family, entered a ‘not guilty’ plea, denying sending messages that were ‘grossly offensive’ in January.

The court adjourned the case, with District Judge Garland granting him unconditional bail until the case comes to trial on April 2. Cryer’s solicitor, Andrew O’Hanlon, called for an unnamed witness to attend court on that day, with the hearing expected to last around two hours.

Dressed in a blue suit, tie and white shirt, the student who is said to live on Fairfield Road in Jesmond spoke only to enter his not guilty plea and state his date of birth and address.

Television crews and photographers, from both the regional and national press, were in attendance as he arrived at the court on Market Street with his face hidden by a scarf.

He remained inside the court building for around four hours after the hearing, after which cameras from Sky Tyne followed him round Newcastle city centre as he continued to cover his face.

During the legal proceedings, the 21-year old has continued to attend lectures at the Law School. He also played for the Intra Mural side Braca-Law-Na in their 4-4 draw with rivals Henderson Hall in the Wednesday league.

The Newcastle student was charged on January 7 with two public order offences, after the complaint was passed on to Northumbria Police. However, on January 23, one of the charges was withdrawn.

He is originally from Burnley, Lancashire where his father owns a chauffeur company.

Collymore works as a pundit for talkSPORT radio, works for the charity Depression Alliance and campaigns against racism. Normally Collymore is a frequent Tweeter, however his account remained dormant on the day of the hearing.

It is questionable as to whether the ex-footballer will be attendance at the trial as the proceedings will continue into their fourth month when the case comes to trial.