The Ryanair pilot had to abort his landing because the passenger refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt
A drunken aircraft passenger has been jailed for 10 months for his aggressive and abusive behaviour on a flight returning to the UK from Poland. Stephen Blofield, 61, was so intoxicated on the Ryanair flight that both crew and fellow holidaymakers feared for their safety.
Bristol Crown Court heard Blofield became disruptive as the plane travelled from Krakow to Bristol on November 11 last year.
He had started drinking doubles at the airport to calm his nerves ahead of the flight and carried on while on board – becoming abusive towards the Polish cabin crew, WalesOnline reports.
As the flight was on approach to Bristol Airport, the British pilot had to abort his first attempt at landing because Blofield refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt.
An earlier hearing was told he screamed ‘I’m savage, I drink JD” and “You can’t tell me what to do, I’m English”.
When the plane finally landed, the police were waiting to arrest him.
Ian Fenny, prosecuting, said: “When the officers boarded the flight and approached him, they found him to be drunk, aggressive and confrontational.
“Because of the confined space within the fuselage of an aeroplane, they were concerned that he might strike out and inflame the situation where they noticed that other passengers were already agitated.
“Eventually he was arrested and handcuffed and indeed during this process he struck out, narrowly missing the passenger to his left.
“The principal officer describes the defendant’s abuse as effectively the worst that he had to endure in 20 years as a police officer.”
Mr Fenny said Blofield’s behaviour was “so alarming and potentially dangerous” that he had to be removed from the plane using an ambulift, which is normally reserved for disabled passengers.
“As a consequence of the defendant’s behaviour, passengers were effectively marooned on board as the police, and most particularly cabin crew, tried to evacuate the plane quietly and safely,” Mr Fenny said.
“Because of the defendant’s behaviour and because of where he was actually sitting within the plane, that proved very difficult.
“Thus, a number of the passengers had no option but to be further exposed to what was described by the police as the defendant’s vile verbal aggression.”
At a previous hearing, Blofield, of Goshawk Road, Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft, using threatening or abusive language to cabin crew, failing to comply with the pilot’s instructions, and an offence under the Public Order Act of using threatening abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Sam Louwers, defending, explained the defendant had lost his medication for back pain, depression and anxiety ahead of the flight to Poland and turned to alcohol for the trip home.
“Ultimately, Mr Blofield was a man who has come from a difficult background and eventually found himself in Poland due to tracing of family roots,” he said.
“When he found himself in Poland without his medication, he went into a form of withdrawal, confining himself to his hotel room and decided on that basis that he needed to return to the UK earlier than planned.
“When he got to the airport, his anxiety, depression, pain levels were sky high and he became incredibly nervous of flying and so foolishly decided that now would be the right time to settle his nerves, as many do, with a drink at the airport.”
He said the defendant had “no recollection” of the incident but had seen videos posted on social media of his behaviour.
“He’s never denied his behaviour, he’s never denied his actions, and as he explained to the police the reason he was struggling so much was because of that medical withdrawal,” Mr Louwers said.
“Mr Blofield is distressed by his behaviour, he’s distressed as to what he has witnessed in these videos.
“He is also distressed as to the fact that he has found himself before you today.
“He understands that his behaviour could have easily, and has, disrupted other passengers and the airline.
“He understands that it could have caused distress to other people, and most importantly, he understands that his behaviour is nothing short of unacceptable.”
Judge Euan Ambrose jailed Blofield, who is on benefits and has a lengthy criminal record, for 10 months.
“This is a case where only a custodial sentence can be justified,” he said. “It is so serious that no other form of sentence would be appropriate.
“You were drunk when you got on board and you continued to drink whilst on board, becoming increasingly drunk during the flight.
“Your behaviour deteriorated, you became disruptive and aggressive and refused to follow basic safety instructions from the crew, such as being asked to sit down, fasten your seatbelt and matters of that sort.
“You caused great concern and fear amongst fellow passengers and also fear and alarm to the crew.
“Your behaviour was such that the first attempt at landing into Bristol had to be aborted and when the plane finally did manage to land, police were called and boarded the plane.
“When they approached you, they found you drunk, aggressive, confrontational and extraordinarily abusive towards them.”
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