Jail for BA pilot set to fly while four times the limit

A British Airways pilot has been jailed after being caught on duty with more than four times the alcohol limit.

Lewes Crown Court heard Julian Monaghan, 49, drank three double vodkas before a flight from Gatwick to Mauritius on Jan 18. Police were called when a technician noticed he smelled of alcohol. He pleaded guilty when tests showed he had 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system – more than four times the limit for a pilot. He was jailed for eight months.