Emmerdale star Mark Jordon appeared in court today to plead not guilty to charges of GBH and assault, after an altercation with a pensioner earlier this year.
Mark, who plays Daz Spencer in the soap, appeared in the dock in Tameside Magistrates’ Court in Greater Manchester to confirm his personal details.
The 53-year-old is charged with Section 20 wounding and common assault, after the OAP suffered bites to his left eyebrow, arm and thumb at The Farrers Arms Pub in Oldham.
The actor’s lawyer, Rebecca Clarke, confirmed her client was pleading not guilty, as the alleged victim, Andy Potts, 68, watched from the public gallery.
The TV star, who was previously married to actress Siobhan Finneran, was joined by his current girlfriend, Emmerdale co-star Laura Norton, 35, who plays Kerry Wyatt.
Laura, who has called Mark her “best friend”, left with her boyfriend after he was granted unconditional bail and the case was referred to Crown Court.
Happy birthday @JoepopProds my best friend. Bonafide 1 off. U deserve all the happiness in the world. By far the best person I know. ❤ u pic.twitter.com/44w5SdtknR
— Laura Norton (@lawrencenotrin) January 25, 2017
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Mark was charged at the beginning of October with the alleged assault which happened on 1st July.
When the alleged incident first came to light, there were reports that Mark’s future on Emmerdale could be in jeopardy.
But it appears he will be remaining on the show for the foreseeable.
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The Sun quoted a source as saying: “Producers have spent a lot of time weighing up what to do about the situation.
“They understand it’s a very serious situation but they don’t think suspending him will help anything — especially while legal matters are still ongoing.”