Man started blaze in plane toilet

A 46-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for more than four years after he started a blaze in the toilet of a plane carrying 201 people.

The Monarch Airbus A321 was flying at 35,000ft and was 100 miles from the Egyptian coast when the captain was told the crew were having difficulty extinguishing the blaze in a waste paper bin.

The captain made a mayday call and planned an emergency landing on the flight from Birmingham to Sharm el-Sheikh on August 27, 2015.

John Cox, from Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was sentenced to four years and six months in jail at Birmingham Crown Court.

The second fire took place at about 5.40pm, when the captain issued the emergency call. It was only after the blaze was extinguished that he cancelled it.

Paul Reid, prosecuting, said Cox’s “irresponsible actions” had put the passengers and crew on board in danger.