Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JET RACIST CAN KEEP HIS SORRY
Victim rejects TV apology for flight rant
THE woman subjected to a vile tirade on a Ryanair flight has dismissed her abuser’s apology after he went on TV to say sorry and deny being a racist.
David Mesher, 70, said “I’m not a racist person by any means. It’s just a fit of temper at the time, I think. I apologise for all the distress you’ve had there and since.”
But asked if she accepted his apology, 77-year-old Delsie Gayle said: “I don’t think so. You must forget and forgive, but it’s going to take a long time for me to get over what he has done to me.”
Mesher called Windrush immigrant Delsie, from Leyton, East London, an “ugly black b ***** d” as the plane boarded in Barcelona last week. Film of the incident later appeared online.
Mesher, a former railway ticket office worker, who lives in a supported housing complex in Birmingham, told ITV’S Good
Morning Britain he “absolutely” regretted his behaviour.
He said: “I probably lost my temper a bit and ordered her to get up.” Delsie’s daughter, Carol Gayle, said: “He says he wasn’t racist – he wouldn’t be saying words like that if he wasn’t racist.” Delsie’s family said they still had not heard from Ryanair, who claim to have sent a written apology. Ryanair executive Robin Kiely said the airline had reported the incident to police and wrote to Delsie “early on Sunday morning”. He said: “Ryanair treated it with the urgency and seriousness it warranted.”