Drunk woman who lit cigarette on plane to Leeds Bradford Airport is jailed

A DRUNK woman who lit a cigarette on a plane heading to Leeds Bradford Airport has been jailed.

Emma Woolley was sentenced to four months behind bars at Leeds Crown Court this week after her shocking behavior on the way back home on a Jet2 Flight from Antalya, in Turkey earlier this year.

She pleaded guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk or being drunk in an aircraft, smoking on an aircraft, and behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of the aircraft crew at an earlier hearing.

Staff onboard the flight to Leeds Bradford Airport, in Yeadon on January 28 this year were forced to call for police assistance to offload Woolley when the plane landed.

The 43-year-old, of Warren Avenue, Wakefield, was caught smoking in the plane toilet and illicitly consuming alcohol that had been purchased in duty-free.

Judge Ray Singh said: “I can’t avoid an immediate custodial sentence.

“These types of offenses have to be met with a deterrent to ensure others do not behave in the way that you did.”

Phil Hard, Managing Director of Jet2, issued a severe warning to any passenger traveling on a flight this summer.

He said: “This sentencing should send out a stark and sobering example to the tiny minority of people who cannot enjoy their flight responsibly.

“This summer we will fly millions of hardworking customers and families away to enjoy their well-deserved holidays, but sadly there are a handful of people who behave in a disruptive fashion, often fueled by alcohol that has been purchased in duty-free and is then illicitly consumed onboard.

“Our message to them is very simple – we take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behavior, as do the courts – and by acting irresponsibly you run the risk of a criminal record and even a prison sentence.”

He added: “As a family-friendly airline, we will not hesitate to take action against disruptive passenger behavior.

“That includes issuing bans, billing disruptive customers for costs that we incur, and working with the authorities to support successful prosecutions.

“Ms Woolley must now face the consequences of her behavior and we are confident that this sentencing will send out a very clear message to others about how severe the consequences can be.”