Tui passenger spilt alcohol over child and screamed abuse at flight crew as plane forced to make emergency landing

A drunk passenger who spilled alcohol on a child and hurled homophobic abuse at cabin crew has been jailed after forcing a Tui flight to make an emergency landing.

James Rae, 29, from Falkirk, has been sentenced to eight months in prison following the incident on a Glasgow to Antalya flight in May.

The 29-year-old had been drinking gin and Jagermeister before boarding the aircraft, where his behaviour became so disruptive that the pilot was forced to divert to Newcastle.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Rae’s actions led to significant delays for holidaymakers, and cost the airline “several hundred thousand pounds”.

Passengers initially complained about Rae’s language, causing his partner to move away from him and become “visibly upset”, the court heard.

When crew discovered he was drinking duty-free spirits, they attempted to confiscate the alcohol and requested his passport.

Rae then called an air steward a “gay boy” and claimed he was being targeted because he was straight, prosecutor Antonia Adie told the court.

His behaviour continued to deteriorate as he began hitting his head against the seat in front of him, requiring another passenger to intervene.

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The situation reached its peak when Rae spilled alcohol from a small plastic bottle over a young girl sitting in front, leading to an argument with the child’s parents.

The flight’s diversion to Newcastle caused a delay of over five hours for passengers travelling to Turkey.

The disruption also affected holidaymakers waiting to return from Antalya, who faced a 17-hour delay while replacement cabin crew were arranged.

Judge Stephen Earl, sentencing, said: “The one thing that stands out in this case is deterrence.

“Not only deterring you, but to ensure other people understand if you get on an aircraft and you are drunk, this is the sort of sentence you can expect.”

The judge noted it may seem “odd” that alcohol is sold in airports and on flights, adding: “It relies on people to be grown up about it, not sit with 15 pints for four people… but that’s what some people do.”

Defending Rae in court, Fiona Lamb said her client had been “quite nervous about flying” and had eaten only chicken nachos before take-off.

The court heard Rae had no previous convictions and has not consumed alcohol since the incident.

His memory of the events was “extremely limited”, his defence lawyer told the court.

In his own words, Rae expressed deep remorse, stating: “It was horrible and shameful and I’m absolutely embarrassed, I have no idea where it came from. I’ve ruined my life over something I can’t even remember, it’s horrible.”

The court was told Rae wished to apologise to the airline staff member if given the opportunity.