Air rage smoker jailed for attack
From the BBC website.
A 53-year-old Darlington man who terrified fellow passengers on board a holiday flight and assaulted an air steward has been jailed for 12 months.
Stephen Robinson clambered over seats to hit his victim after being told to put out a cigarette on the Thomas Cook Turkey to Newcastle flight in March.
He admitted endangering the safety of the aircraft and causing actual bodily harm, at Newcastle Crown Court.
The 53-year-old of Hope Town Lane, forced the plane to be diverted.
The hearing on Friday heard how Robinson clambered over other passengers in his row of seats.
In the melee an airline steward was hit in the face and his teeth were damaged.
The packed Boeing 757, from Antalya to Newcastle, was diverted to Frankfurt, where Robinson was removed from the aeroplane.
Big T