An easyJet passenger who grabbed a stewardess by the neck after drinking three quarters of a bottle of whisky has been jailed for six months.
Colin Smith, 51, was travelling from Manchester to Malta with his partner when the flight attendant spotted him standing up after the seatbelt signs were switched on.
The stewardess warned Smith to be careful because the plane was landing, but was met by a ‘vacant’ stare. He then grabbed her by the neck with both hands, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
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The woman managed to get away from Smith, before he tried to hit her again. In an attempt to defend herself, she pushed Smith back. He fell onto two seated passengers, and was restrained.
Whilst he lashed out at her, the stewardess asked his partner if he had any health concerns, to which she replied: “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.
“He expresses his remorse and states that he wishes to apologise to the victim for the impact that his behaviour has had upon her,” Ms Renton said.
Smith, of Woodland End, Hull, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to assault and being drunk on an aircraft at an earlier hearing. Today (January 16) Judge Tina Landale sentenced him to six months imprisonment.
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