A crown court in the United Kingdom has adjourned the plea and trial preparation hearing of Nigerian dancer and hypeman Iweh Pascal Odinaka, better known as Poco Lee, after the matter could not proceed as listed on Tuesday.
The case came up at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on 15 September 2026, but the hearing did not go ahead because the charge sheet was unavailable. No plea was recorded, and the court fixed 8 February 2027 for the next plea and trial preparation hearing.
According to BBC News Pidgin, Poco Lee did not appear when the case was called, and no plea was entered as a result. Several other accounts of the day, however, describe the entertainer appearing before the same court. The court itself has not publicly reconciled the two versions, and what is not in dispute is that the charge sheet was missing and the proceeding was put off.
The court has scheduled the trial to begin on 8 March 2027. At the February hearing, Poco Lee is expected to indicate whether he will plead guilty or not guilty.
Poco Lee faces five sexual offence charges confirmed by Snaresbrook Crown Court following his arrest in August. According to a statement from the court’s administration, the charges comprise one count of attempted rape, two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration.
He has not been convicted of any offence, and the allegations are yet to be tested in court. The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed the case remains active.
A reporting restriction is in force under Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, protecting the anonymity of the complainant. That order limits the details that can be published about the case.
Tuesday’s hearing followed confirmation by the court, given on 14 September, that Poco Lee had been granted bail on 11 September, ending days of uncertainty over his custody status. Reports of his bail had circulated on social media before the court confirmed the decision to the BBC, which stated that he remained on bail.
Supporters attended the proceedings. Accounts of the day said the court gallery reached capacity, with members of the Nigerian community in the UK among those present and others left waiting outside.
Poco Lee has spoken publicly since his release. In videos circulated online after his bail, the entertainer commented on his experience in the UK and denied the allegations against him. Those comments were made outside court and do not form part of any plea, which the law requires to be entered before a judge.
The case dates to Poco Lee’s visit to the UK, reported to have coincided with the Davido and Friends concert at Crystal Palace. He was charged in late August, and the September listing was the first substantive stage in the crown court process.
For readers unfamiliar with the procedure, a plea and trial preparation hearing is the point at which a defendant in the English crown court system formally states whether they admit or deny the charges, allowing the court to set a timetable. Where that step cannot be completed, as happened on Tuesday, the court adjourns and fixes a fresh date, which is what has now occurred.
Poco Lee, aged 29, studied Microbiology at Lagos State University and rose to national attention around 2018 after clips of his legwork dance performances spread widely online. He went on to become one of the most visible figures in Nigeria’s live entertainment scene, working alongside leading Afrobeats acts.
The next confirmed development in the matter is the plea hearing on 8 February 2027, followed by the trial listed for 8 March 2027. Both dates are subject to the court’s own scheduling and to any further procedural steps that may arise before then. Until a plea is entered and the trial concluded, the charges remain allegations that the prosecution must prove.