Rock Legend's Son Accused of Racially Aggravated Assault

Gene Gallagher, the son of former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, and Sonny Starkey, the grandson [...]

Gene Gallagher, the son of former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, and Sonny Starkey, the grandson of Ringo Starr, will stand trial in March 2022 for allegedly assaulting an employee at a grocery store in Hampstead, London in May 2019. Gallagher, Starkey, and model Noah Ponte, all 20, pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the assault. They were charged in the case in February 2020, but their trial was not scheduled until Friday.

The trial will start on March 28, 2022, in Wood Green crown court, Judge Noel Lucas QC said on Friday, reports the Evening Standard. The defendants did not attend the short hearing. The trial is expected to last eight days. Starkey, whose father is Starr's son Jason Starkey, was charged with two counts of assault for allegedly beating Tesco Express employees Hiran Rajput and Shvium Patel. Gallagher was charged with racially aggravated assault on Rajput, and Ponte cases a charge for stealing a can of alcohol and attacking Patel. The friends allegedly assaulted the grocery store employees on May 17, 2019.

liam gallagher gene getty images
Liam Gallagher and son Gene in 2018. (Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Burberry)

During an earlier hearing in the case, Ponte was accused of stealing the can of beer after the shop owners stopped selling alcohol. "You bloody Indians. Go back to where you came from. You're not wanted here," Ponte allegedly told the employees, reports the Daily Mail. "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," prosecutor Alexander Agbamu said in an earlier hearing.

Gallagher is the son of Liam, 48, and Liam's second wife, singer Nicole Appleton, 46. Liam recently announced a new date for an upcoming free concert in London to honor National Health Service workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The concert has been postponed several times since it was announced in April 2020. It is now scheduled for Aug. 17 at The O2, reports NME. All tickets purchased for previous dates will be valid. Primal Scream and Black Honey are also scheduled to perform at the show. "It's an honor to announce that I will be doing a gig for the NHS and careworkers at London's The O2," Liam said of the show. "They do an incredible job, we are very lucky to have them."

Starkey's grandfather, Starr, 81, was The Beatles' drummer and continues to release new music. In March, he released the EP Zoom In, a follow-up to his 2019 album What's My Name. Starkey's father is Jason, Starr's second son with his first wife, Maureen Starkey. Jason reportedly had his own run-ins with the law in his late teens and 20s, and performed in several indie bands, reports the Daily Mail.

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