Slurring son of billionaire was booted off f light
‘Intoxicated’ Ashcroft, 43, was taken away in cuffs, police papers reveal
THE ‘intoxicated’ son of Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft was hauled off a flight after pilots were forced to abandon takeoff, newly unearthed police records reveal.
Officers said they arrested Andrew Ashcroft, the billionaire peer’s youngest child, because they feared he was ‘a danger to himself or others’ after finding him stumbling and reeking of alcohol.
His estranged partner is Jasmine Hartin, who was implicated in the shooting of Belizean police chief Henry Jemmott.
US police were called to the American Airlines flight 2451 leaving Dallas-Fort Worth International airport for Belize, where Mr Ashcroft lives, in January 2019 after the plane returned to the terminal to have the hotelier, 43, removed.
The four-page report said the father-of-two was ‘unsteady while walking, had slurred speech, was unable to answer basic questions and did not know where he was’.
The arresting officer, S. Speck, wrote: ‘Dispatch advised the aircraft was taxing (sic) to the gate because of an individual on board being disruptive.
‘Officer Carrasquillo and I made contact with Ashcroft, Andrew. I noticed Ashcroft was unsteady on his feet and was having difficulty walking. I could also smell a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person. I asked where he was flying to and he stated “I took a nap on the plane”.
‘I asked Ashcroft how many drinks he had, to which he responded “napping”. Ashcroft finally advised he had two cocktail drinks on the plane.’
He was arrested for ‘Public Intoxication’, handcuffed and escorted off the plane. No further action was taken, however, according to the report obtained by DailyMail.com.
The arrest is one of two that Miss Hartin is expected to raise in a custody battle over their four-year-old twins, Charlie and Ellie. Mr Ashcroft has claimed Miss Hartin, 32, is an unfit mother after she was implicated in the death of Mr Jemmott in May and charged with manslaughter by negligence. She was freed on bail after claiming the shooting was accidental. The estranged pair came face to face on Tuesday in court where an interim judgement saw the children temporarily placed in Mr Ashcroft’s care.
Miss Hartin’s lawyers are expected to prepare a case that will likely include the airport incident and a 2013 drinkdrive arrest.
Court records in Broward County, Florida, reveal the businessman was pulled over in May 2013 in his Mercedes while driving under the influence – DUI.
Mr Ashcroft pleaded no contest, the papers show, and was sentenced to six-months’ probation, fined $1,001 and ordered to do 50 hours of community service, which he deferred by paying a further $500.
A request for comment from Mr Ashcroft went unanswered.