Man sentenced for offences on flight to Bristol Airport
A man, who was intoxicated on a flight from Poland to the UK, has been sentenced.
Stephen Blofield, 61, from Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty in February to the following charges:
- Being drunk on an aircraft
- Behaved in a threatening / abusive / insulting / disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew
- Threatening / abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment / alarm / distress
- Person onboard an aircraft failing to obey lawful commands of a pilot
The offences relate to a flight on Tuesday 11 November from Krakow to Bristol Airport.
He was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to 10 months in prison today (Tuesday 7 April). Blofield must also pay a victim surcharge of £187.
Inspector Christian Gresswell, of the Bristol Airport policing team, said: “Passengers have a duty for safety reasons to make sure they are fit enough to fly and not intoxicated.
“Stephen Blofield caused the initial landing to be aborted and continued to be verbally abusive towards cabin crew. He was met by officers at Bristol Airport once the flight had safely landed.
“We want people travelling to and from a holiday to relax and enjoy themselves, but we hope this case serves as a bit of a reminder to people that everyone needs to take responsibility for their own actions and ensure they are in a fit state to fly. An intoxicated passenger can pose an unacceptable risk to safety, and that’s why we take the offence so seriously.
“We will continue to work closely with airport staff and airlines to keep passengers and crew safe at all times.”