Drunk Leeds Bradford Airport passenger attacked Jet2 staff after he was stopped from boarding flight

Robert Smith attacked Jet2 staff at the airport on May 18 last year. The 45-year-old first came to the attention of staff when he was seen knocking over a stool in an airport bar as he walked towards the gate after a final call was put out for passengers for a 4.20pm Tenerife flight.

He denied being intoxicated and was allowed through to the gate but was then stopped after he was seen bumping into glass panelling along the walkway towards boarding. When he was told he was intoxicated and could not board the flight, he became abusive to the female member of staff who then radioed for assistance from colleagues.

Her colleagues attended and Smith pleaded to be allowed on but was again refused. He began to walk away but was told he needed to be escorted back to border control and the customer service desk. He then made threats before attacking staff and needed to be restrained with assistance from bar staff and members of the public until security and police arrived and arrested him.

While Smith was handcuffed, he headbutted a plainclothes detective in the face. He was placed in leg restraints and had to be transferred to a police van in a wheelchair and taken to police custody. He was charged in relation to the incident and subsequently admitted two counts of common assault in relation to the Jet 2 staff and assaulting an emergency worker.

Smith, of Lawns Green, New Farnley, was sentenced this week at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, where was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for a year. It includes an alcohol abstinence and monitoring order for 90 days and 250 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay £120 compensation for each of the three victims.

Sergeant Anne Haydock, of the Leeds Bradford Airport Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “It is a criminal offence to be drunk on an aircraft, and airline staff have the right to refuse passengers who are suspected of being intoxicated from boarding. Disruptive behaviour such as drunkenness can be a potential risk to the safety of the aircraft and can also result in aircraft diversions that cause significant inconvenience and cost.

“Airline staff, and the police officers who support them, should be able to carry out their duties without having to face the kind of completely unnecessary threats and violence they encountered during this incident. Incidents such as this will always be treated seriously and attract criminal charges. We hope Smith’s conviction and sentence will remind people of how unacceptable behaviour such as this is.”

Phil Ward, managing director at Jet2.com, added: “As a family friendly airline, we take the issue of disruptive passenger behaviour very seriously and have led the way to clamp down on it. We welcome this sentencing, which sends out a strong warning that such behaviour will not be tolerated by the courts. Disruptive passenger behaviour can lead to very serious consequences such as banning orders and financial penalties, and as this case proves, severe court action. In the interests of the comfort and well-being of our customers and colleagues onboard, we will continue with our zero tolerance approach.”