Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty to staging racist and homophobic attack on himself

Special prosecutor investigating handling of case and charges

The Empire actor Jussie Smollett has pleaded not guilty to six new charges related to the alleged staging of a racist and homophobic attack on himself.

A year after he was first charged over a strange and seemingly bizarre incident in Chicago last year, the 37-year-old appeared back in court wearing sunglasses and with a beard.

He was surrounded by his legal team a mass of reporters, photographers and camera crews.

His lawyer, Tina Glandian, entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf to six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

She also told the judge, James Linn, that she had asked the Illinois Supreme Court to halt the case.

Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of the charge in the same courthouse last year, just weeks before the Cook County state attorney Kim Foxx’s office announced it was dismissing the case. The decision caused an outcry among police and city officials

Smollett has repeatedly denied police allegations that he staged the attack to get attention and further his career.

Smollett, who is black and gay, told police that two masked men attacked him as he was walking home in the early hours of January 29, 2019.

In his statement to police, he claimed said they made racist and homophobic insults, beat him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing, and that at least one of his attackers was a white man who told him he was in “MAGA country”.

Then, in a twist that caused jaws to drop, police alleged Smollett had paid two black friends to help stage the attack.

Reports said among those in court on Monday to watch proceedings were the brothers who say they were hired by Smollett to participate in the staged attack, Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo.

Smollett has maintained his innocence, telling reporters after the charges were dropped last year: “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of.”

His attorney, Ms Glandian, questioned the integrity of special prosecutor’s investigation after the new charges were announced this month, pointing out that Ms Webb’s probe relied on the same detectives who were part of the original investigation despite pending civil claims that Smollett is pursuing against the city and police for malicious prosecution.

Additional reporting by Associated Press