A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman and disrupting a flight from London Luton Airport last year, has been jailed for six months.
Kramat Khan, 36, of Stone Close, Great Denham, was travelling to Tenerife with easyJet on June 29 last year, when he inappropriately touched a member of cabin crew as she carried out an inflight drinks service, claiming it was an accident.
Later, as she was working alone in the galley, he grabbed her from behind in a tight hug, and kissed her neck, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.
Throughout the flight Khan repeatedly left his seat and removed his shirt, despite requests from the crew and pilot over concerns for the safety and comfort of all passengers on board, not to do so.
Khan ignored them, and his behaviour escalated to become abusive and aggressive towards the crew and the other passengers, demanding a fight and being racially abusive towards members of crew who tried to assist.
The pilot was forced to request a priority landing in Tenerife, however, the crew took the decision to report Khan’s behaviour to police on their return to the UK.
At Luton Crown Court on Friday, July 31, 2020, Khan was sentenced to six months imprisonment for endangering an aircraft.
For the sexual assault, he was sentenced to a further two months to run concurrently, and one month for racially aggravated harassment, also concurrent.
Sergeant James Hart of Bedfordshire Police’s Airport Policing Unit said: “Khan’s behaviour posed a serious risk to the crew and passengers, and he acted disrespectfully towards a female member of the crew, leaving her shaken and distressed for several days after.
“We are pleased that the severity of his actions have been recognised by the court in the form of a jail term.
“The crew’s primary responsibility is for the safety of the aircraft and its passengers, and Khan’s behaviour put that in jeopardy.
“Abusive and disruptive passengers must expect to be firmly dealt with, and this behaviour is never acceptable, let alone on board an aircraft.”
Mick Broster, Head of Security for easyJet, said: “Whilst serious disruptive passenger incidents are rare, easyJet will not tolerate them. We take them very seriously, always push for prosecution, and fully co-operated with the police during their investigation.
“The safety and wellbeing of all of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”
Victims of sexual assault can receive support and guidance from Bedfordshire Police and its partner agencies, including the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), as well as support through the criminal investigation process, regardless of how long ago the offence occurred.
Call us on 101, or report your concerns via our online reporting tool. Always call 999 in an emergency.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault, reports can be made to police on 101. You can also contact the SARC through the Emerald Centre, by visiting www.emeraldcentre.org, emailing info@emeraldcentre.org or calling 01234 842750.
If you have been affected by crime, the Signpost Hub offers free and confidential support to victims in Bedfordshire, whether it has been reported to police or not, and irrespective of where and when the crime occurred.
Contact 0800 0282887 or visit www.signpostforbedfordshire.com for further information.
