AIR RAGE THUG BIT CABIN CREW
HEROIN ADDICT JAILED FOR CAUSING ‘TERROR’ ON FLIGHT
A HEROIN addict dad has been jailed after bringing ‘terror’ to a Manchesterbound flight by biting two members of cabin crew and butting a passenger who desperately tried to restrain him.
Father-of-four Mohammed Rashid had to be tied to his seat with cables during the mid-air drama from Pakistan via Dubai, Manchester magistrates court was told.
Rashid, 56, of Wellfield Road, Crumpsall, started to experience withdrawal from the class A drug and first came to the attention of cabin crew after smoking a cigarette in the toilet, causing the alarm to go off.
Rashid, who was with his family, went back to his seat but started to walk the aisles in an ‘agitated’ state, almost ‘standing on a toddler’ who was in the aisle. His brother told the crew Rashid had been a heroin addict for more than 10 years, and they decided to give him two tablets of an anti-depressant in a bid to calm him down.
Nicola Durham, prosecuting, said this worked for about 45 minutes, but he began to become disruptive again.
They gave him another tablet but he was swearing and abusive towards staff. After seeking advice, the cabin crew decided to restrain him to a seat using cable ties. But Rashid struggled and bit two members of cabin crew on their legs.
He then butted a passenger who was trying to assist the crew.
Rashid also called a female member of the cabin crew a ‘f ****** bitch.’
Ms Durham said passengers were ‘rather distressed’ at what was happening on the Emirates flight.
She said there was a spontaneous round of applause when police boarded the aircraft and arrested Rashid when it landed in Manchester.
The court heard three witnesses had travelled to Manchester from Dubai for the case in vain, with Rashid pleading guilty on the proposed day of trial.
Rashid, who has claimed benefits for nearly 20 years due to health problems, says he has little recollection of what happened and said the tablets made him feel ‘drowsy.’
Shakil Ahmed, defending, said Rashid had not taken any drugs or medication for 10 hours before the flight. Jailing Rashid for 24 weeks, chairman of the bench Steven Palmer said: “What happened on that day will have caused terror to all of the passengers on that flight.”
Rashid admitted three counts of assault and two public order offences.
He was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to each of his three victims.