A ‘THIRSTY’ single mum attacked three British Airways cabin crew after they refused her booze – telling one she had a ‘massive arse’ – a court heard today.
Emma Langford, 47, punched a manager and kicked a stewardess and called her ‘chubby fat arse’ on the flight from Heathrow to South Africa.
The mum-of-two, of Old Baising, Hampshire, also boasted of paying £8,000 for two seats and smashed plates and glasses, cutting one staff member.
She was eventually restrained thanks to the help of an off-duty police officer, before she was carried off the plane when it landed in Cape Town.
Langford was due to stand trial today at Ealing Magistrates Court, in London, after first denying three charges of assault – but then changed her pleas to guilty.
The mum previously pleaded guilty to the charges of criminal damage, being intoxicated on an aircraft and behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting and disorderly manner towards cabin crew.
But magistrates branded her actions as “so serious” she must appear before crown court for sentencing – where she could face up to two years in prison.
Molda Gribbin, prosecuting, said trouble flared about 30 minutes after take-off on December 6 last year, when an ‘agitated’ Langford entered the galley sticking of booze.
She said: “She was saying that she had been on the plane for ages and was thirsty and wanted a drink.
“The manager asked the customer not to speak to his crew in such a fashion.
“He could smell alcohol on her and so asked if she had been drinking, but she said ‘no’. He gave her a bottle of water and she went back to her seat.”
But Langford later returned with her “chest puffed out” as she began to further berate staff.
Ms Gribbin said: “She was saying she had paid £4,000 for a seat and £8,000 for two and asked if he could afford that amount but he said he would not comment.
“She was asked to calm down and return to her seat, but she proceeded to run at a member of staff and chased them away.
“She grabbed the member of staff by both of her shoulders and pushed her into the door.”
After cornering the manager and hitting another crew member ‘a number of times’ she was restrained and handed a violation notice – to which she replied “blah, blah, blah”.
In a statement read out to court, one of her victims said: “She kicked me in the back of the legs and said ‘your arse is massive.’
“She called me chubby and fat arse. It was massively offensive and hurt my confidence. I felt humiliated in front of the whole cabin.”
Since the incident, Langford underwent treatment from mental health services and had gone through a rehab programme, the court heard.
She will be sentenced next month.
