Judge issues warning as man is jailed over incident at Belfast International Airport

Steven Meek (34), of Canton Court in Belfast, committed the assault on Saturday October 21 last year.

Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday, was told the defendant had a criminal record in Scotland.

The court heard the assault happened at 12.30am on an EasyJet flight bound for Liverpool which was at Stand 4 at Belfast International Airport.

It had been delayed and the defendant began to shout and became abusive to crew.

The prosecutor said passengers asked for him to be removed.

A cabin manager approached the defendant who stood up and punched him in the face causing pain to his jaw. The defendant was escorted out of the airport by police.

When interviewed the defendant expressed remorse but claimed he was responding to "provocation", the prosecutor said.

The court heard the defendant is originally from Scotland and had convictions from courts there.

A defence solicitor said the defendant now lives and works in Northern Ireland as a joiner. The lawyer quoted from a letter of apology the defendant had penned which in which he had expressed his "disgust" at his actions on the flight.

The defendant wrote that the cabin crew were only doing their jobs and he accepts his actions were "nothing short of appalling".

In the letter, Meek claimed "fatigue along with a small amount of alcohol" played a part; saying he was "ashamed" and he pledged to be "more mindful" towards cabin crew.

The defendant said he now stays alcohol-free before and during flights.

The defence lawyer said last October the defendant had been due to go to a football match on the Saturday and the flight had been "plagued with delays".

The defendant then had "retired to the bar area and a few drinks were taken" and Meek was "tired and frustrated and drink was onboard".

The solicitor said passengers then boarded the plane and were told a "further hour was going to have to be spent on the runway and that is whenever this outburst arose. He had drink taken and was frustrated, not at staff, but just being kept for so long and then another hour was going to have to be spent on the runway".

The lawyer said cabin crew had approached and "laid hands on him and he does accept that he did react".

The solicitor said he didn't believe "any lasting injuries" were sustained by the crew member.

The lawyer added: "I appreciative it is coming into the holiday period and courts will be wanting to set a marker as far as this type of behaviour is concerned and a case of zero tolerance".

District Judge Nigel Broderick said he sees “too many of these cases" at his court and often it involved intoxicated passengers who assault crew.

"This cannot be allowed to continue," he added.

He said drunkenness is no excuse and told the defendant: "To punch a member of the aircraft crew in the jaw is not acceptable in any shape or form and there must be a clear message to those that use our airports, alcohol is freely available but it must be consumed in a responsible manner."

The judge said the court "will not tolerate" such assaults.

Judge Broderick said the three months jail sentence was punishment for the defendant and also aimed at "sending a clear message" to the public that "those who are use our airports must do so responsibility and if they consume alcohol they must do same responsibility".

Bail was fixed for appeal in the sum of £500.