A man has been jailed for 15 months for subjecting crew on board an easyJet flight to a foul-mouthed rant and then attacking the police officer who tried to arrest him.
Michael Warrilow was travelling on board a flight from Amsterdam to Liverpool John Lennon airport in October last year when the incident took place.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mr Warrilow began looking for food in the flight attendant’s trolley once the plane had taken off.
When he was asked to stop he reportedly replied: ‘Drop the f***ing attitude.’
He was later asked to pick up some crisps that he had dropped on the floor and was reported to have replied: ‘I’m not a f***ing dog, especially not your f***ing dog.’
A male flight attendant also accused Mr Warrilow of making a homophobic comment, which the defendant denied, according to the Liverpool Echo.
But when he was told that the captain was going to call the police he said: ‘I don’t give a ****. Get away you **** before I hit you.’
Police officers were waiting to arrest Mr Warrilow when the plane landed in Liverpool but he tried to resist arrest.
He struggled so violently with the police officers that he broke one of their thumbs and ligaments.
When Mr Warrilow was eventually escorted to the police van he began to butt his head against the cage inside the van.
The injured police officer had to undergo surgery on his hand and take sick leave from his job to recover.
But the day after the incident, Mr Warrilow insisted that he had not assaulted the officers. He also said he hadn’t taken any drugs while in Amsterdam and claimed to have only drunk water during his trip.
Two weeks before the trial the defendant pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, along with a public order offence and two further charges under the civil aviation act.
He was jailed for 15 months.
The court heard that Mr Warrilow, who is unemployed, had 65 previous convictions. These included burglary, battery, assault and affray, resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, called Mr Warrilow’s actions ‘appalling’ and said the defendant had ‘lost control’ causing a ‘nasty injury’.
He said: ‘Your offences and the injury to the police constable were the culmination of a quite appalling episode of violent aggressive and intimidating behaviour displayed by you toward cabin crew of the easyJet flight.
‘It must have been intimidating and threatening not just to the cabin crew but other passengers nearby.
'Travelling on an aeroplane is stressful enough without passengers behaving as you were behaving.'
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