Drunk and abusive airline passenger heading to Gatwick avoids jail

Edgars Emsins tried to headbutt three off-duty police officers and had to be restrained

Author: Vanessa BellringerPublished 29th Mar 2023

A drunk airline passenger who abused and tried to headbutt three off-duty police officers on a plane bound for Gatwick has avoided jail.

Edgars Emsins had to be restrained on the journey from Tenerife to West Sussex on March 14th with his family.

The 36-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted three counts of assault and one count of being drunk onboard an aircraft.

He was handed a 16-week suspended sentence and had to pay more than £200 in costs.

Detective Sergeant Ian Warncken from Gatwick CID said: “Emsins’ behaviour was completely unacceptable.

"Cabin crew and fellow air passengers should not have to put up with drunk and abusive behaviour on board an aircraft.

“The three off-duty officers showed great professionalism to safely detain him, so that he could be immediately arrested.

“This case is a warning about the dangers of consuming alcohol before boarding flights, and demonstrates our determination to catch offenders who are drunk on board.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.