A drunken man attacked a Jet2 staff member who turned him away from a flight to Ibiza.
Kyle Windsor, from Fazakerley, called one employee a "fat slag" after he was barred from boarding following a marathon drinking session to drown his sorrows. A court heard how Windsor arrived to Manchester Airport four hours early to "hit the duty frees" after he decided to go ahead with a trip to Ibiza following a break up with his girlfriend.
But as he became increasingly inebriated in the departure lounge, Jet2 staff were tipped off about his condition by other holidaymakers and they refused to let him get on the flight when he arrived at the boarding gate.
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As he was turned away from the gate, Windsor pushed over passenger service assistant Roy Franklin and sent him crashing into a metal barrier before yelling: 'You f*****g fat slag” at colleague Sarah McLean as she tried to calm him down.
Families waiting to board looked on in shock as Windsor shouted “who the f*** are you” at them before he was arrested by Greater Manchester Police and taken to Cheadle Hill custody suite. He was found to have a wrap of cocaine in his pocket.
In a statement to police, Mr Franklin said: ''I felt disappointed that I found myself in this situation. I felt for the passengers and my colleagues but especially my female colleagues because of the language used.
''This incident was purely down to alcohol. I have been working at the airport with Jet2 for just over four months and this was a first for me. I come to work to help people, not to be assaulted.”
Miss McLean said: “I should not have to come to work and be threatened for carrying out my duties. I have a duty of care to protect my colleagues, passengers and the aircraft. This incident was witnessed by many young children and this would no doubt have a had a negative effect on their holiday experience.''
At Tameside magistrates court, Windsor admitted common assault, using threatening behaviour, being drunk and disorderly and possession of cocaine. He was fined £189 with £453 in costs and was ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation activity days as part of a six month community sentence.
Jack Moore, prosecuting said: “The defendant arrived at Manchester Airport’s Terminal Two at 13:13 on the 25th July, 2022. He was set to board a Jet2 flight to Ibiza hours later but soon after he arrived at the terminal he began to consume vast amounts of drink purchased at the duty-free retailers.
''Airport staff were made aware of his increasingly drunken behaviour by a number of reports made by holidaymakers in the terminal. Four hours later, at 17:08, Roy Franklin and Sarah McLean refused the defendant entry onto his flight.
"Both of the Jet2 employees reported that the defendant was clearly intoxicated and was unsteady on his feet. He was also loud and obnoxious towards staff and other passengers.
"He became angry with the two staff members for their decision to take exception of him and shoved Franklin in the middle of the chest in an attempt to get past him. The force of the push made Mr Franklin fall back, hitting a metal barrier pole on his way down to the floor.
"He did not sustain any injuries from this assault. Franklin got up from the floor and managed to calm down the defendant and get him to steady himself and sit on the floor.
''However, despite this, the defendant’s civil denouement did not last long and he was soon back up on his feet. He became aggressive towards McLean and verbally threatened her. He shouted: ‘who the f**k are you’ and ‘you f*****g fat slag’, all while in the presence of families with children.
“The defendant was later arrested and taken to nearby Cheadle Hill custody suite where he was searched. During the search, officers found a small snap bag of white powder which tests revealed was cocaine. He was interviewed the following day and gave no comment throughout.”
In mitigation Windsor’s solicitor, Ms Toni Moran, told the court how Windsor ‘thought the white snap bag of powder was ketamine, not cocaine.’ She said he had experienced PTSD due to asthmatic struggles he had during COVID, which led him to self-medicate with alcohol.
“His plan was to go away on his own as he had recently experienced a break-up with his girlfriend. He self-medicates with alcohol and that is why he got to the duty-free really early.
“Regarding the assault, he attempted to push past Mr Franklin to great through to the aircraft. He just wanted to get on the plane. Before he was arrested he did apologise to Mr Franklin and this was acknowledged by the victim.
"In all fairness to the victim, he was very magnanimous and didn’t over-exaggerate the incident in his statement.''
She added: “The defendant was very, very drunk. He had trouble growing up and was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of seven.
"He also suffers from asthma, which meant that during COVID he had a particularly bad time and was not able to access medical assistance. This experience left him with PTSD. He was prescribed anti-depressants but has been infrequent in his dosage.
”While he doesn’t drink daily he does binge drink and has realised that this is his problem. As a result, he has since given up drinking.''
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