The court heard the accused had consumed most of the five small bottles of wine served and at one point declared ‘I’m horny’
A man has been convicted of multiple offences committed on a flight from Paris – including the attempted sexual assault of a girl under 13.
While Ramiz Idrizi was acquitted of one charge of assaulting a woman, the 38-year-old was convicted of trying to sexually assault her daughter as well as the apprehension assault of a male passenger who had remonstrated with the defendant.
Before the contested hearing began at Ballymena Magistrates Court, Idrizi, with an address at Woodvale Avenue in Dublin, entered guilty pleas to being drunk on an aircraft and to using abusive words towards cabin crew.
During the four-hour contest, the court heard how the incident unfolded on an EasyJet flight from Paris to Belfast International on 14 November last year.
Idrizi had consumed most of the five small bottles of wine he had bought during the flight, but when the plane was around half an hour from landing, the little girl’s mum said the defendant “was kicking my seat.”
At one point, Idrizi declared “I’m horny” and reached between the fuselage and the seat, trying to touch the little girl’s leg, causing her to jump up.
A man sitting in the same row as the mum, gave evidence that he saw “a flash of a hand” beside the child’s seat so noticing that both were uncomfortable with the situation, he offered to swap seats.
He remonstrated with Idrizi about his behaviour but the defendant told him, “your mother’s a slut.”
The court heard that just before that incident, Idrizi had been heard “hacking up phlegm” and the woman who was in the aisle seat in the same row, said that he had been “spitting and talking to himself.”
Cabin crew were made aware of the situation and having made an announcement that alcohol was no longer being served, Idrizi was spoken to.
He refused requests to hand over the last of his wine and to move seats. Instead, the passengers around him were moved but the court heard that as the plane was coming in to land, Idrizi was seen “punching the wall of the fuselage.”
Giving evidence on his own behalf, Idrizi admitted that he called the passenger’s mother a slut and further, that he was intoxicated.
He denied trying to touch the girl, suggesting that as a man who is six feet tall, the only time he touched her seat was to grab it when he was getting up.
Idrizi also denied that he had been spitting or hacking up phlegm.
Delivering his ruling however, District Judge Nigel Broderick said he was satisfied the various witnesses, both civilian and cabin crew, had given “credible and reliable evidence.”
Having entered the guilty verdicts, Judge Broderick said that “I think in fairness to the defendant, I’m going to get a report.”
Freeing Idrizi on bail, the judge said he would deal with the case on April 28.
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