Man who abused woman on flight identified, say police

A MAN filmed racially abusing an elderly woman on a Ryanair flight has been identified, police said.

Footage of the abuse taken by a fellow passenger was captured on a Ryanair flight at Barcelona airport on Oct 19, before it left for London Stansted.

Delsie Gayle, 77, who was called an “ugly black b------” and told “don’t speak to me in a foreign language, you stupid ugly cow”, will now be able to give police a statement about the incident, her daughter said.

Ryanair also faces possible punishment after Spanish authorities began an investigation into whether the airline broke international rules by failing to remove the passenger from the flight. “In Spain these types of incidents can incur fines of up to €5,000 (£4,400),” a spokesman for the Spanish public works ministry said.

Yesterday, Essex Police confirmed it had been contacted on Sunday about “a racially aggravated incident happening on a Ryanair plane.” The force said: “Since the report was made to us our officers have identified both parties involved and are progressing a number of inquiries.”

“There are agreed national protocols to follow when incidents are reported to have happened in another country. As such, we will be conducting an investigation to submit to the Spanish authorities in due course.”

Speaking on ITV’S This Morning yesterday, Mrs Gayle’s daughter Carol said police had advised her that she would be able to make a statement later this week.

Karl Turner, a Labour MP, had raised fears that the man could “get away with it” because the incident took place on the runway in Barcelona.

A spokesman for the Spanish Guardia Civil told The Daily Telegraph that the Spanish force would investigate the incident, but because the flight’s destination was London, “it should be the British police that takes charge of this case”.