A man accused of urinating on a war memorial has admitted outraging public decency but denied swearing at a church verger, telling him: “They’re dead anyway”.

Ian Marshall, 49, of Gill Lane, Yeadon, appeared before Leeds magistrates today to admit urinating on wreaths at the memorial during a night out on November 27 last year.

However, the Crown is set to call witnesses to a new hearing after Marshall denied urinating directly on to the memorial in Otley Road, Headingley.

Prosecutor Lisa Carlton told the court: “The Crown’s case is that (the verger) Mr Ellis’s attention was drawn to the defendant.

“He had climbed steps leading to the memorial and, holding on to railings, urinated on the memorial through to where the wreaths were clearly on display. That is what is in dispute.”

She said that when a church verger approached Marshall, he became aggressive and swore at him twice.

Miss Carlton told the court the verger had mentioned a Sheffield student prosecuted after being caught urinating on a poppy wreath at that city’s main memorial after a pub crawl.

She told the court that Marshall carried on urinating and replied: “They are dead anyway and there’s no-one under there.”

However, solicitor Abbi Whelan, for Marshall, said: “The comments are most definitely disputed.”

The case was adjourned earlier this month for CCTV footage of the incident to be reviewed.

Miss Whelan told District Judge Christopher Darnton that the footage was of “insufficient quality” to show exactly what had happened.

There will now be a ‘Newton hearing’ in which a judge will listen to both sides of the case to determine the facts.

Mr Darnton adjourned the case until April 6, when witnesses will be called to give evidence at the magistrates’ court.

Marshall was arrested following national outrage over student Philip Laing, of Macclesfield, who was filmed urinating on Sheffield’s main war memorial.

Laing, who was drunk after a bar crawl, was later spared jail and given 250 hours’ community service for outraging public decency.