'Racist' first-class passenger threatened to gang rape air hostess after binge
Salman Iftikhar, 37, was travelling first class when he told the air hostess she would be dragged from her hotel room, gang raped and set ablaze on the Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow to Lahore.
Another passenger, who captured a brief video of one of Iftikhar's 100 tirades, can be heard saying 'holy s--t' as Iftikhar repeatedly brands the air hostess a racist and declares: "You called me a p-ki in front of everybody."
Iftikhar was travelling with his wife and three children at the time of the mid-air mayhem at 39,000ft on February 7, 2023, Isleworth Crown Court heard, reports the Mirror.
"Mr Iftikhar was seen drinking champagne at the onboard bar, where he was talking to cabin crew," said prosecutor Abdul Kapadia. "During the defendant's first meal service, the defendant was seen helping himself to ice, leaning over bar he was drinking at, and taking ice with his hands.
"When told to stop, the defendant became irate, and started to film cabin crew with his phone, telling them: 'Do not tell me what to do you bitch'."
When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: "'Don't tell me what to do you racist f--king bitch. I know where you are from in Cardiff.'" The pilot was then alerted, and switched on the seat belt lights, which Ifitkhar blamed on the stewardess again, calling her a "f*****g b***h".
Mr Kapadia stated: "The defendant's behaviour became worse. The cabin crew discussed a diversion to Turkey. The defendant was informed of this possible diversion, to which he replied: 'I don't care. F**k it, go to Turkey. I have contacts.' The defendant then sat down, but his aggressive behaviour continued. His wife was ashamed. His three children were also on-board, and other crew members were called to assist, but the defendant continued shouting and swearing.
"He was slurring his words, with his voice raised. He shouted at the cabin crew: 'Do you know who I am?' The defendant's wife went to the food bar and tried to talk to cabin crew, but the defendant pushed his wife away, and shouted at her not to talk to crew. A crew member stabilised the wife's arm to prevent her from falling when she was pushed.
"The defendant then got up, and threatened to fight the cabin crew. He grabbed one flight attendant, named Tommy Merchant, and told him to shut up and go away. He told Mr Merchant: 'Do you know who I am? F**k off. You should know who I am. Come on you heard me. Let's go right now. Staff tried to calm the defendant down. The defendant was asked if there was anything the cabin crew could do."
But then, the court heard Iftikhar leaned forward and grabbed the woman's hand and squeezed it before calling her a "f*****g white Welsh c**t".
Mr Kapadia added: "The defendant also threatened to blow up the floor of the Avari Lahore Hotel, where the cabin crew were due to stay. The defendant knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew with this. He told [the stewardess]: 'You will be dead on the floor of your hotel'."
'Iftikhar shouted at [her] and said: 'The white sheep sh*****g b***h will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear.
He told [her]: 'You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire'. The defendant said this while his three young children were crying and pleading for him to stop."
"The hotel details proved to be accurate, and [the victim] was forced to stay there overnight, unable to sleep," Mr Kapadia revealed.
Mr Kapadia explained that when the aircraft touched down in Pakistan, no measures were taken against Iftikhar, but he was eventually detained at his €1M detached property in Iver, Bucks, on March 16, 2024.
The victim appeared in court alongside her sister, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, both wearing their uniforms.
She revealed how she was forced to take 14 months off work in a victim impact statement read to the court. She said: "I am a strong brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company. I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me.
"I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go.
"Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do. I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me."
Iftikhar, from Iver, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment in connection with the cabin crew member.
He was acquitted of assault by beating and threats to kill regarding Mr Merchant.
Defence barrister Ben Walker-Nolan claimed Iftikhar was experiencing 'amnesia blood loss', which played a part in what occurred.
Iftikhar has six prior convictions stemming from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008.
Relatives broke down in tears as Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC sentenced him for the "appalling incident".
His LinkedIn profile shows he is director and founder of recruitment company Staffing Match. In a statement, a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said: "The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft.
"We will always work closely with the relevant authorities and will not hesitate to seek prosecution for those individuals that cause disruption onboard through unacceptable behaviour.
"We're incredibly grateful to [the victim] and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner.
"We are proud of [the victim] for her bravery in court and we will continue to offer her our full support."
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