Liam Gallagher's son and Ringo Starr's grandson will stand trial this week on charges of assault and affray, following an incident that took place in 2019 at a Tesco Express store in Hampstead, north London.
Gene Gallagher, 20, Starr's grandson Sonny Starkey, 21, and IMG model Noah Ponte, 21, are charged with affray and assault by beating, while Gallagher and Ponte are also accused of racially aggravated assault, according to the Independent. Ponte is charged with theft. The trio maintain their innocence and have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to earlier reports, the confrontation took place after Ponte allegedly stole a beer from the store. Ponte then reportedly yelled at a South Asian shop worker, "You bloody Indians. Go back to where you came from. You're not wanted here," according to The Sun.
A fight erupted involving the three and members of the shop's staff before leaving the store, the outlet noted, adding Gallagher and Starkey are accused of "windmilling" down the aisle at one shopkeeper.
The incident was captured by CCTV, making the case "very factually straightforward," prosecutor Alexander Agbamu told Wood Green Crown Court at a hearing in March 2020, Metro reported.
"[Anything] that hasn't been captured on cameras can be given in evidence by witnesses," Agbamu added.
Agbamu doubled down on the statement in a 2021 hearing saying that factually "it's a very straightforward case. Much of the incident was captured on CCTV; that which isn't, is described by eyewitnesses, by those who are described as the alleged victims," according to the Daily Mail.
Agbamu told a Monday hearing at Wood Green Crown Court the trial was initially scheduled to start that day but the date was delayed.
"We were informed on Friday that in fact because the court has been overrun with cases, we can start this trial on Wednesday," Agbamu said.
The three defendants, who wore suits in the dock, did not speak during the short pretrial hearing, according to the Independent.