Drunk passenger sentenced to 46 months in prison and banned from flying with Jet2 for life
A passenger, who’s actions forced a Jet2 flight travelling from Edinburgh to Tenerife to divert to the Portuguese island of Porto Santo after he sexually assaulted four members of cabin crew, has now been sentenced in Scotland for the attacks.
The incident took place on 15th March, after the aircraft had taken off from Edinburgh Airport at around 8:30am with approximately 110 passengers on board, including families with children.
Soon after departure, crew members noticed that the offender, 40-year-old Joseph McCabe (pictured), was frequently getting up to use the toilet.
Around 90 minutes into the flight, a female attendant felt someone touch her buttocks while she was assisting another passenger. When she turned, she saw McCabe, who proceeded to make sexually explicit comments about her tights and make-up, and asked about her age and where she lived.
According to court documents cited by the UK press, McCabe went on to touch and slap the buttocks of two other crew members, wrap his arms around the waist of a third, and attempt to hug a fourth. He also threw his bank card at an airline employee and tore up a written warning issued because of his intoxicated behaviour.
Given the seriousness of the situation, the crew activated the safety protocol and decided to divert the aircraft. Police boarded the plane upon landing in Porto Santo and arrested McCabe. After the arrest, the flight continued to Tenerife, arriving roughly two hours late.
Prison Sentence and Lifetime Ban
McCabe appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he pleaded guilty to four sexual offences. Sheriff Alison Stirling said that the case involved “a high level of culpability and harm”, sentencing him to 46 weeks in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and issued with indefinite restraining orders protecting the victims.
Jet2 additionally imposed a lifetime ban on McCabe and fined him £5,000, which he refused to pay. His defence argued that he had consumed excessive alcohol due to bereavement. Media reports state that McCabe, from Glasgow, is a father of two, a former Royal Logistic Corps soldier, runs a construction company, and co-owns a leisure marine business.
Share:
