Violent drunk jailed for causing chaos on flight
A packed flight from Iceland had to divert to Glasgow Airport after drunken yobs attacked another passenger in mid-air.
Tanked-up Iulian Ungureanu, 25, and his co-accused punched another passenger after openly drinking their duty free booze, despite being warned by cabin crew aboard on the Easyjet flight to London Gatwick.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Ungureanu, a Romanian citizen who had never visited the UK before, became so aggressive and abusive to other passengers aboard, the pilot was forced to land in Paisley and have him arrested.
Procurator Fiscal depute Callum Forsyth told the court how the lout and his co-accused lost the plot with cabin crew, telling them to “f**k off,” and shouting they were “free men,” after flight stewards told them to stop drinking their duty free.
The yobs began abusing two women sitting nearby, calling them “f****** bitches.”
The duo then turned on a same-sex couple, branding them
The accused began calling them ‘bitches’ and ‘p******’ Callum Forsyth
“bitches,” and “p******.”
The fiscal said: “Both male passengers were in a relationship with each other when the accused began calling them ‘bitches’ and ‘p******’.
“He began to touch one of the men’s faces in an attempt to provoke him. He left his seat in an attempt to escape.
“At which point the accused leaned over and swung a punch, which made contact with the passenger’s nose.”
His un-named co-accused then joined in the assault, also striking the victim during the rammy, which took place on November 24, 2018.
When arrested and taken into custody at Govan, the yob attempted to punch a cop and spat on the officer through his cell hatch.
This week, Ungureanu, who was only lifted on a warrant after flying into Liverpool on July 13 for a job interview, appeared at
Paisley Sheriff Court, where he pleaded guilty to charges of assault aggravated by sexual orientation, drinking on board a plane in breach of licensing laws, behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and assaulting a police officer.
Sheriff Lindsey Kooner locked him up for 204 days because of the gravity of the offence, telling him there was no alternative to custody, given what he did on the flight.