The partner of a drunk easyJet passenger said she told him "not to drink that whisky" before he attacked a stewardess mid-flight.
Colin Smith was warned by the stewardess to be careful after she spotted him standing up when the plane was due to land. The 51-year-old, who was travelling from Manchester Airport to Malta, gave the stewardess a "vacant" stare, reports the Manchester Evening News.
He then grabbed her by the neck with both hands, Manchester Crown Court heard. The woman managed to get away from Smith but the 51-year-old tried to hit her again.
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In an attempt to defend herself, she pushed Smith back and he fell onto two seated passengers, and was restrained. The stewardess asked Smith's partner if he had any health issues as he lashed out at her.
His partner said: “I told him not to drink that whisky” on March 28 last year. When he returned to the UK a week later on a Jet2 flight, he was arrested and made full admissions.
Smith said he bought two bottles of Famous Grouse whisky in duty free and had sunk three quarters of one bottle during the journey, describing himself as being "nine out of 10 drunk". In a victim personal statement read to the court, the woman described feeling upset and anxious.
She added that she was scared of further assaults in the future. Smith was said to have six previous convictions for nine offences, and was most recently before the courts in May 2018 for an offence of battery.
Defending, Colette Renton said her client’s recollection of the incident was "fragmented" due to his intoxication. She said his fear of flying contributed to his drinking, and said he was going on a prearranged holiday for his 50th birthday which was a "relief" for him and his partner following recent family bereavements.
Ms Renton said: “He expresses his remorse and states that he wishes to apologise to the victim for the impact that his behaviour has had upon her."
Smith, of Woodland End, Hull, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to assault and being drunk on an aircraft at an earlier hearing. On Monday, January 16 Judge Tina Landale sentenced him to six months imprisonment.
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