LONDON, United Kingdom — Nigerian dancer and entertainer Iweh Pascal Odinaka, known professionally as Poco Lee, did not enter a plea when his UK case returned to Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 15, 2026. The plea and trial preparation hearing was adjourned, and the next hearing has been listed for February 8, 2027.
The development is a material update to XTRAfrica's earlier coverage, which had reported that the case remained active ahead of the September hearing. Poco Lee has denied the allegations and has not been convicted of an offence.
What happened at Poco Lee's September hearing? The September 15 plea and trial preparation hearing did not produce a plea. Reports citing the court proceedings said the charge sheet was unavailable, so the case was adjourned to February 8, 2027. A trial date has also been listed for March 8, 2027.
PUNCH reported after the hearing that Snaresbrook Crown Court moved the plea and trial preparation hearing to February 8, 2027. The report, citing BBC News Pidgin's account of the proceedings, said the charge sheet was not available and no plea was entered.
TheCable also reported that the September proceeding did not result in a plea and that the case is due back before the Crown Court in February. A trial date has been listed for March 8, 2027, although court timetables can still change before trial.
That means the September hearing did not determine whether Poco Lee is guilty or not guilty. It was a procedural stage in an active criminal case, and the allegations remain unresolved.
The new court timetable also answers one of the main questions left open in XTRAfrica's earlier report on Poco Lee's public response: the case has not ended, and the September hearing did not produce a final outcome.
Poco Lee remains on bail as the case continues
Before the September 15 hearing, Snaresbrook Crown Court confirmed to PUNCH that Poco Lee had been granted bail on September 11. That confirmation corrected earlier uncertainty about whether his public appearance meant he had been released and under what status.
Bail is not an acquittal and does not mean charges have been withdrawn. It allows a defendant to remain out of custody subject to the court's conditions while proceedings continue.
JUSTICE & CRIME
Poco Lee UK Case: What Happened at His September Hearing?
17 sept. 2026
17 sept. 2026
5 min read
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LONDON, United Kingdom — Nigerian dancer and entertainer Iweh Pascal Odinaka, known professionally as Poco Lee, did not enter a plea when his UK case returned to Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 15, 2026. The plea and trial preparation hearing was adjourned, and the next hearing has been listed for February 8, 2027.
The development is a material update to XTRAfrica's earlier coverage, which had reported that the case remained active ahead of the September hearing. Poco Lee has denied the allegations and has not been convicted of an offence.
What happened at Poco Lee's September hearing? The September 15 plea and trial preparation hearing did not produce a plea. Reports citing the court proceedings said the charge sheet was unavailable, so the case was adjourned to February 8, 2027. A trial date has also been listed for March 8, 2027.
PUNCH reported after the hearing that Snaresbrook Crown Court moved the plea and trial preparation hearing to February 8, 2027. The report, citing BBC News Pidgin's account of the proceedings, said the charge sheet was not available and no plea was entered.
TheCable also reported that the September proceeding did not result in a plea and that the case is due back before the Crown Court in February. A trial date has been listed for March 8, 2027, although court timetables can still change before trial.
That means the September hearing did not determine whether Poco Lee is guilty or not guilty. It was a procedural stage in an active criminal case, and the allegations remain unresolved.
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The new court timetable also answers one of the main questions left open in XTRAfrica's earlier report on Poco Lee's public response: the case has not ended, and the September hearing did not produce a final outcome.
Poco Lee remains on bail as the case continues
Before the September 15 hearing, Snaresbrook Crown Court confirmed to PUNCH that Poco Lee had been granted bail on September 11. That confirmation corrected earlier uncertainty about whether his public appearance meant he had been released and under what status.
Bail is not an acquittal and does not mean charges have been withdrawn. It allows a defendant to remain out of custody subject to the court's conditions while proceedings continue.
Poco Lee's full name is Iweh Pascal Odinaka. Readers looking for his background, career, real name and rise through Nigerian street dance can read XTRAfrica's full Poco Lee biography.
What charges does Poco Lee face?
Poco Lee faces five sexual-offence charges reported as one count of attempted rape, two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration. The allegations have not been determined at trial, and he has denied wrongdoing.
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The Crown Prosecution Service had already told Nigerian media before the September hearing that the case remained live. The legal position therefore remains straightforward: charges are before the court, no plea was entered at the September hearing, and there has been no conviction.
The case has also generated a broader discussion in Nigeria's entertainment sector about consent and the legal risks artists may face while travelling abroad. XTRAfrica previously examined that reaction in its report on the Poco Lee case and Nigeria's consent debate.
Why the complainant cannot be identified
UK law protects the identity of complainants in sexual-offence cases. Crown Prosecution Service guidance states that rape complainants have lifelong anonymity in the media, subject to limited legal exceptions.
That means reporting should not publish the complainant's name, photographs, address or other details capable of identifying the person. The restriction applies independently of online speculation about the case.
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Snaresbrook Crown Court is an official Crown Court in east London. The HM Courts and Tribunals Service court page confirms that the court handles criminal cases, while HMCTS publishes hearing information through its official court-listing systems.
What happens next in Poco Lee's UK case?
The next major date currently reported is February 8, 2027, when the case is due to return for a plea and trial preparation hearing. That is the stage at which a formal plea may be entered if the case is ready to proceed.
A trial date has also been listed for March 8, 2027. The safest way to describe that date is as the current court timetable rather than a guaranteed start date, because criminal case schedules can be changed by further directions from the court.
Reports differ on whether Poco Lee was physically present in the courtroom during the September 15 proceeding. That disagreement does not change the core verified outcome: no plea was recorded, the hearing was adjourned, and the next procedural date is in February 2027.
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