Air rage passenger on Newcastle Airport flight faces jail
06.09.07
A drunk aircraft passenger who terrified holidaymakers on a flight to Newcastle Airport by fighting cabin crew at 33,000ft after lighting a cigarette is facing jail. He was also warned he may never be allowed to fly again after admitting endangering the safety of the Thomas Cook flight TCX313L and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The packed Boeing 757, flying from Antalya in Turkey to Newcastle, had to be diverted to Frankfurt in Germany when 53-year-old Stephen Robinson, from Hope Town Lane, Darlington, suddenly developed air rage in March last year, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
A row which started when Mr. Robinson defied the no smoking signs and became increasingly aggressive when asked to put his cigarette out. He clambered over other passengers in his row of seats, and in the melee an airline steward was hit in the face and his teeth were damaged.
The packed plane was diverted to Frankfurt, where Robinson was removed from the aeroplane. Steward Philip Miles needed £2,000 worth of dental treatment as a result, and shocked holidaymakers endured several hours' delay.
Mr. Robinson admitted endangering safety and assault and will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on 28 September. As well as facing a jail sentence, Judge Esmond Faulks said: 'He is the sort of person I think should never go on an aircraft again.' He said the sentencing tribunal may consider making an aircraft ban, similar to a football banning order.
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