Sir Rod Stewart and his son have pleaded not guilty to allegedly attacking a security guard.
The 75-year-old singer and 39-year-old Sean Stewart were not present in court in Florida on Tuesday (21.01.20) to enter their plea in relation to a simple battery charge stemming from a row at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on New Year’s Eve (31.12.19).
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The Daily Mail reports that at the hearing, the pair also waived their right to be present during future court hearings and indicated they plan not to appear unless a judge demands it.
The next court date for the matter has been scheduled for February 8.
If convicted, the pair could be jailed for up to a year.
Sean previously claimed “the truth will prevail” after he and his dad were charged over the alleged altercation, which reportedly saw them get into a row with staff member Jessie Dixon after they tried to gain entry to a private event in the children’s area of the hotel, with the security guard claiming the Maggie May hitmaker had “threw a punch”.
However, Sean blamed the “very aggressive” security guard for the row.
He added: “My dad always taught me to stick up for my family and my loved ones. That’s what I did and the truth will prevail.”
My dad always taught me to stick up for my family and my loved ones. That’s what I did and the truth will prevail.
In a police report, Jessie alleged Rod and his family were “loud, caused a scene and refused to follow instructions to leave”.
He claimed he was then “shoved backwards” by Sean, who had been “nose-to-nose” with him before being “punched in the left ribcage” by Rod.
A friend of the security guard claimed he had been left “quite shaken” by the alleged incident.
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The pal said: “Jessie had given up his New Year’s Eve to earn extra money but has been left quite shaken by what happened.
“Rod and Sean took exception to not being allowed into the party. It turned ugly when Jessie refused them entry.”
Rod and his son were questioned by police and told how their family had “approached the check-in table and attempted to have children in their group gain access.”
After being refused admission, the Tonight’s the Night singer accused the security guard of becoming “argumentative”, causing the group to become “agitated”.
Police claimed Rod “apologised for his behaviour” and witness statements and video footage are said to suggest Rod “did not intentionally strike Dixon against his will”.