British official’s son pleads not guilty

Deirdre Newman

Additional charges may be filed against Alastair Irvine, the

25-year-old accused of felony vandalism and stalking, who also

happens to be the son of a highest-ranking judicial official in

England.

Irvine, a Newport Beach resident arrested for alleged crimes in

Costa Mesa, pleaded not guilty to one misdemeanor and five felony

charges at his arraignment Tuesday. He will be back in court Friday

for a pretrial hearing.

Although Irvine was arrested in late June, Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike

Fell said his actions are still being investigated. Fell would not

disclose what new charges may be filed.

Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said he was not aware of any

additional charges that may be filed against Irvine and has not

received a request from the district attorney’s office for more

information.

However, Irvine’s defense attorney, James Riddet, claimed that

some of the existing charges against his client are excessive and

should not be considered felonies. Riddet said he will file motions

to reduce some of the charges, including felony stalking and

burglary.

“I hope at some point the district attorney will reevaluate and

agree,” Riddet said. “If not, it will not be settled and will go to

trial.”

The charges against Irvine stem from various incidents starting in

March, when he allegedly got into a dispute with a neighbor and

reportedly threw acid on his car, the district attorney’s office has

said. Then, Irvine started pursuing a 19-year-old woman who already

had a boyfriend. When his advances were rejected, Irvine allegedly

threw acid on the boyfriend’s car.

Ultimately, Irvine went to the Newport Tanning Club -- where the

woman and her boyfriend worked -- with a concealed weapon and

reportedly threatened the boyfriend with bodily harm, according to

the district attorney’s office.

Irvine’s arraignment was delayed for about an hour Tuesday because

of a meeting between Judge Ronald Kleber and attorneys on both sides.

Neither side would divulge what was discussed in the meeting.

Irvine finally appeared beyond the glass partition, wearing a

yellow jumpsuit and looking sullen.

Although the media frenzy has subsided considerably since the

first time Irvine appeared in court, British journalists are still

crossing the Atlantic to cover the story. During the arraignment,

Riddet asked Kleber to impose a gag order, which would have prevented

attorneys from discussing the case with the media, because he

believes that’s the only way to ensure his client receives a fair

trial.

While Fell agreed that a fair trial is imperative, he said he did

not believe it was being jeopardized by talking to the press. He also

claimed it is important to properly explain the prosecution’s case to

the British journalists.

Kleber postponed making any decision Tuesday, instead leaving it

up to the trial judge.

Riddet, who is in contact with Lord Derry Irvine, Alastair’s

father, said he will continue to pursue a settlement, but will

aggressively litigate the case if it goes to trial.

The only way the district attorney’s office will consider a

settlement is if Irvine pleads guilty to all the charges, Fell said.

If the case goes to trial, it is expected to take about five to

six days, both attorneys said.

Irvine is being held on $100,000 bail but cannot be released

because the Immigration and Naturalization Service has placed a hold

on him, stemming from the charges.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.