Latest news with #AbeerRizvi
International Business Times
3 days ago
- International Business Times
Who Is Abeer Rizvi? Supermodel Wife of Drunk Virgin Atlantic Passenger Who Threatened to Rape Flight Attendant Defends Husband for His Nasty Outburst
The supermodel wife of the disgraced executive, who was jailed for threatening to rape a flight attendant, defended him just days after the disturbing incident led to his sentencing. Abeer Rizvi implied her husband, Salman Iftikhar, was suffering from mental health problems. She believes that his mental health issues triggered his abusive outburst toward Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Angie Walsh during an eight-hour first-class flight in 2023. Iftikhar, founder of the recruitment company Staffing Match, is married to both Abeer Rizvi and Erum Salman, the Daily Mail reported. "Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story, there's pain you don't see," Rizvi wrote on her Instagram Story on Thursday. Defending Her Convicted Husband Abeer Rizvi Instagram "Before judging, try understanding," Rizvi said, adding, "Be kind. Be human." Rizvi lives in Pakistan, where she runs a beauty salon and regularly shares glamorous photos with her 500,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram. On February 7, 2023, Iftikhar was on a flight from London, England, to Lahore, Pakistan, accompanied by Erum Salman and their three children, when he got drunk and caused a disturbance during the journey. Salman Iftikhar seen shouting at flight attendant Angie Walsh and threatening to rape her X The 37-year-old father of three was drinking champagne in front of his children during the flight's first meal service when he suddenly reached over the counter and began grabbing ice with his bare hands, according to the Mirror. Flight attendants quickly intervened, telling Iftikhar to return to his seat. However, he turned aggressive and verbally abusive. "Don't tell me what to do, you racist f–king bitch. I know where you are from in Cardiff," he shouted during the flight, as reported by the outlet. Abeer Rizvi Instagram Iftikhar tried to physically confront male flight attendant Tommy Merchant before escalating the situation by horrifyingly revealing the hotel room where Walsh would be staying at the Avari Lahore Hotel. "The white sheep s–ing bitch will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear," Iftikhar shouted, according to the Mirror. "You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang-raped and set on fire." Authorities managed to calm the irate executive and get him back to his seat, and Iftikhar was allowed to leave the flight in Pakistan without any involvement from law enforcement. Punished at Last Police in England arrested Iftikhar on March 16, 2024 at his $1.2 million home in Iver. The recruitment firm Staffing Match, co-managed by Iftikhar and Salmar, went bankrupt after amassing $22.8 million in debt in the wake of his arrest, according to the Daily Mail Abeer Rizvi X Iftikhar confessed to threatening to kill and racially harassing Walsh during the flight but denied any harassment charges related to his confrontation with Merchant. Iftikhar was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his outburst during a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday. Abeer Rizvi Instagram Walsh gave testimony at the hearing, saying that the incident left her deeply traumatized and compelled her to take a 14-month leave from work to recover. "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," she read in a victim impact statement. "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," she added.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Supermodel wife of recruitment boss jailed for 'hurling rape threats at cabin crew' defends disgraced husband
The supermodel wife of a wealthy recruitment boss jailed for hurling death threats and racist abuse at cabin crew after bingeing on champagne has seemingly defended her disgraced husband, declaring 'behind every story there is pain'. Salman Iftikhar, 37, was flying first class when he told stewardess Angie Walsh she would be gang raped and set alight the Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan. Iftikhar was travelling with one his two wives and three children at the time of the incident on February 7, 2023, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Shocking footage shows Iftikhar repeatedly accusing Ms Walsh of racism, adding: 'You called me a p*** in front of everybody.' He went on to say he knew where Ms Walsh lived in Cardiff before shouting: 'The white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead.' He was jailed for 15 months after he left Ms Walsh 'broken' and 'traumatised' after he told her during his drunken tirade she would be dragged out of her hotel room and assaulted. Now one of his wives, Abeer Rizvi, 37, who won the 2012 edition of the Pakistani reality television show Veet Miss Super Model, has taken to social media, seemingly to defend her partner to her 407,000 Instagram followers. She posted a story on Thursday which read: 'Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story there is pain you don't see. Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human.' At the time of his arrest, Iftikhar was living in his £2 million house in Iver, Buckinghamshire with his other wife, Erum Salman, 38, who is the mother of his children. The pair, who own a range of expensive cars, including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce, run London-based Staffing Match that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. However, the pair had a 'rocky marriage and would argue quite a bit', those known to the couple told the Daily Mail. Iftikhar previously owned aviation recruitment firm Core Labour Supply Ltd, although it went into administration owing more than £11 million to HMRC. A neighbour of Iftikhar said: 'He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. He only ever really said hello or anything like that to me when he first moved in.' Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault and drink driving. Ben Walker-Nolan, defending Iftikhar, claimed Iftikhar was suffering from 'amnesia blood loss', which contributed to what happened 39,000ft in the air. Ms Walsh sat in court accompanied by her sister Claire, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, in their uniforms. Iftikhar admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment in relation to Ms Walsh. He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Tommy Merchant, another crew member. Family members wept in the public gallery as the judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children. These were threats made with significant violence. Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. 'Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work.' 'This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh. You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. 'Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.' A Virgin Atlantic spokesman 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 Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner. We are proud of Angie for her bravery in court and we will continue to offer her our full support.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
One of man's two wives defends him after plane ‘rape' threat
One of the wives of a business tycoon who threatened to gang rape a flight attendant during a flight has appeared to defend her partner online. Disturbing footage captured the moment Salman Iftikhar, 37, from the UK, told Virgin Atlantic crew member Angie Walsh she would be attacked in her hotel after landing. Iftikhar later threatened to blow up the five-star hotel where the cabin crew were set to stay. He was finally sentenced to 15 months in jail at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment. One of Iftikhar's two wives has now posted a cryptic message appearing to defend her disgraced husband. Supermodel and actress, Abeer Rizvi, 37, begged people to 'be human' and understand the pain behind every person's story. Rizvi said on Instagram: 'Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story there is pain you don't see. 'Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human.' The popular Pakistani actress has over half a million followers on social media where she often shares clips of her husband. But Iftikhar lives in the UK with another woman who is also the mother to his children. Iftikhar, Erum Salman, 38, and their three children all live in a £2 million ($A4 million) six-bedroom home in Buckinghamshire. The couple run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. Salman and the children were all forced to watch on in horror during the flight. Iftikhar's vile rant was spouted on the eight-hour flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, on February 7 2023. Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar was drinking champagne at the onboard bar and leant over to get his own ice. He said: '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 b***h'. 'When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f***ing b***h. I know where you are from in Cardiff'.' The court heard Ifikhar continued to call Ms Walsh a 'f***ing b***h' before his escalating behaviour sparked a possible flight diversion to Turkey. Mr Kapadia added: '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.' The out-of-control passenger then told cabin crew he would blow up the floor of their hotel. No action was taken against Iftikhar when he stepped off the aircraft in Pakistan. He was only arrested at his expensive detached home in Iver after his holiday. The judge also took into account Iftikhar's six previous convictions, including a common assault – a record she described as 'lengthy and appalling'. Iftikhar was living a life of luxury before his jail stint. He boasts a range of expensive cars on his driveway in Buckinghamshire including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. In one photo, he is seen posing in front of a royal blue Rolls-Royce kitted out with a white leather interior. Other extravagant snaps show a number of his pricey cars parked outside the home of the Buckinghamshire property. A neighbour of Iftikhar, who asked that their identity remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail: 'He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. 'How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn't really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time. 'One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover, but he'd also drive different cars on a temporary basis – usually expensive looking ones.' The neighbour added Iftikhar would sometimes come back in the night 'revving the engine of his car and blaring music' after going out. Another local said: 'He'd usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house.' Despite his apparent wealth, a failed business venture left the recruitment boss millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11 million ($A22 million) to HMRC and £6.885 million ($A14 million) to HSBC.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Influencer wife ‘defends husband' who hurled horrific abuse at Virgin Atlantic stewardess he threatened to ‘gang rape'
ONE of the wives of a business tycoon who threatened to gang rape an air hostess during a flight has appeared to defend her partner online. Disturbing footage captured the moment Salman Iftikhar, 37, told Virgin Atlantic crew member Angie Walsh she would be attacked in her hotel after landing. 9 9 9 Iftikhar later threatened to blow up the five-star hotel where the cabin crew were set to stay. He was finally caged for 15 months at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment. One of Iftikhar's two wives has now posted a cryptic message appearing to defend her disgraced husband. Supermodel and actress, Abeer Rizvi, 37, begged people to "be human" and understand the pain behind every person's story. Rizvi said on Instagram: "Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story there is pain you don't see. "Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human." social media where she often shares clips of her husband. But Iftikhar lives in the UK with another woman who is also the mother to his children. Iftikhar, Erum Salman, 38, and their three children all live in a £2million six-bedroom home in Buckinghamshire. The couple run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. Salman and the children were all forced to watch on in horror during the flight from hell. Iftikhar's vile rant was spouted on an eight-hour flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, on February 7 2023. Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar was drinking champagne at the onboard bar and leant over to get his own ice. He said: "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 b***h. "When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f***ing b***h. I know where you are from in Cardiff." He continued to call Ms Walsh a "f***ing b***h" before his escalating behaviour sparked a possible flight diversion to Turkey. Mr Kapadia added: "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." 9 9 9 The out-of-control passenger then told cabin crew he would blow up the floor of their hotel. No action was taken against Iftikhar when he stepped off the aircraft in Pakistan. He was only arrested at his expensive detached home in Iver after his holiday. The judge also took into account Iftikhar's six previous convictions, including a common assault - a record she described as "lengthy and appalling". Iftikhar was living a life of luxury before his jail stint. He boasts a range of expensive cars on his driveway in Buckinghamshire including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. In one photo, he is seen posing in front of a royal blue Rolls-Royce kitted out with a white leather interior. Other extravagant snaps show a number of his pricey motors parked outside the home of the Buckinghamshire property. A neighbour of Iftikhar, who asked that their identity remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail: "He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. "How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn't really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time. Angie Walsh's gut-wrenching impact statement IN an impact statement, Angie Walsh said she was forced to take off 14 months and the altercation "changed my life enormously". "I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my, my job, my career and my life," she said. "I am a strong brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company. "But I had to take 14 months off work. "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. "But I don't feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack. "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. "There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don't know what to do. "I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. 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." "One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover, but he'd also drive different cars on a temporary basis - usually expensive looking ones." The neighbour added that Iftikhar would sometimes come back in the night "revving the engine of his car and blaring music" after going out. Another local said: "He'd usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house." Despite his apparent wealth, a failed business venture left the recruitment boss millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11million to HMRC and £6.885million to HSBC. 9 9
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Supermodel wife of recruitment boss who threatened to gang rape Virgin Atlantic stewardess defends husband: 'Behind every story there's pain'
The supermodel wife of a shamed recruitment boss who was jailed for threatening to gang rape a Virgin Atlantic air stewardess has defended her disgraced husband, declaring 'behind every story there is pain'. Salman Iftikhar, 37, was flying in first class when he launched a vile tirade of abuse towards air staff on a flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, threatening to blow up the hotel they were staying in. Wealthy passengers aboard the flight watched in horror as the recruitment boss repeatedly called steward Angie Walsh a 'f***ing b****' at 39,000ft. He later threatened to blow-up the five-star hotel the cabin crew were set to stay in. The Daily Mail later revealed the father-of-three was a recruitment tycoon whose business went bust with £17million worth of debts - and had two wives, one in Pakistan and one living in Britain. He was jailed for 15 months after he left Ms Walsh 'broken' and 'traumatised' after he declared she would be dragged out of her hotel room and assaulted. Now one of his wives, supermodel and actress, Abeer Rizvi, 37, has taken to social media, seemingly in defence of her husband begging people to 'be kind' and 'be human'. Writing the cryptic message on Instagram after videos of her husband's vile tirade went viral, she wrote: 'Mental health is not a joke. Behind every story there is pain you don't see. 'Before judging, try understanding. Be kind. Be human.' At the time of his arrest, however, Iftikhar was living in his £2million house in Iver, Buckinghamshire with his other wife, who is the mother of his children, where they kept a range of expensive fast cars - from a Range Rover to a Royles Royce and a Bentley. He lived in the £2million six-bedroom home with one of his wives Erum Salman, 38, and their three children, who watched in horror and tried to intervene during his in-flight drunken tirade. Together the pair run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. But according to those known to the couple the pair had a 'rocky marriage and would argue quite a bit' - with police being called on one instance. Erum appears to have not made any public statement since her husband was convicted. His other wife, back in Pakistan, is a famous actress who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, has shared loved up videos of the couple looking happier than ever, cuddled up together or attending film premiers together. On Iftikhar's birthday earlier this year, the 37-year-old, who won Veet Supermodel of the Year in 2012, penned on Instagram: 'My beloved husband, on this day I want to honour you and your unique ways. … 'Disagreements may come and go but your love and understanding comes in abundance. I am truly grateful for being able to share this journey with you.' The couple appear to enjoy an extravagant lifestyle, spending time on yachts, enjoying luxury holidays or driving around in expensive cars. Indeed back in the UK with his other wife and mother of his children, Iftikar is seen showing off a similar glitzy lifestyle. Pictures shared online show him posing in front of a royal blue Royles Royce kitted out with a white leather interior. Other images show a Range Rover, Bentley and a Mercedes parked outside the home of the six-bedroom property. However, in reality, the recruitment boss, despite being very wealthy, had a failed business venture that have left him millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however, it went into administration owing more than £11million to the HMRC and £6.885million to HUSBC. The company, called Core Labour Supply Limited (CLSL), had a rapid rise and quickly started having a turnover of almost £90million in 2022. It meant Iftikhar was able to continue enjoying his taste for the high life - paying himself dividends of almost £1million a year between 2018 and 2021. But the business was badly affected by Covid and two of his biggest customers, which accounted for 35 per cent, left. The company couldn't meet repayment terms with the HMRC, forcing them into administration. He now owns a training company called Staffing Match which he has owned since September 2024 for his wife. The London-based business provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. The couple have a number of other small related businesses which do not have significant reserves or have made small losses. Despite this, Iftikhar still continued to live a luxurious lifestyle. A neighbour of Mr Iftikhar - who asked not to be named - revealed to the Daily Mail: 'He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. 'How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn't really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time. 'He moved in with his wife in 2016. At that time they had two children but had another a few years later. I remember they threw a huge expensive first birthday party for their third child. 'The house has had a lot of work done. It had a brick frontage originally but Salman had it all rendered. He also had a big extension round the back. 'The property used to be open but he came along and surrounded it with big electric gates and an intercom system. 'He only ever really said hello or anything like that to me when he first moved in. After that he sort of fenced himself off and didn't really mingle with other neighbours much. 'One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover but he'd also drive different cars on a temporary basis. 'I think he may have been part of a car club or something like that because he'd drive a variety of different vehicles. Usually expensive looking ones. 'He was driving around in a red sports car a few months ago. He'd go out early evening sometimes and come home about 10pm revving the engine and blaring music out of the speakers. 'It was really annoying and inconsiderate especially as people were trying to get to sleep. He thought he looked cool but he really didn't. 'I saw him a few times smoking weed on the front drive when I walked past his house towards the field. 'I gather he had issues with drugs and alcohol. I heard that at one point within the last few years he'd been banned from driving. 'His marriage had been rocky for a while, apparently, and he and his wife would argue quite a bit. The police were called to one incident last May. An officer knocked on several neighbour's doors asking if they'd heard any yelling.' Another local said: 'He'd usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. 'We've got a 20mph speed limit here but he was driving well above that. 'He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house. He'd done a lot of the building work on his home around the time of Lockdown a few years back. 'I thought he was a bit arrogant as he'd have friends turning up at his place at all hours and when he first moved in and was having building work done he'd parked his cars on his neighbour's driveway opposite without asking. 'The neighbour mentioned it to him and he stopped doing it but didn't apologise or anything. I thought that was quite rude.' This week he admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment at Isleworth Crown Court and was jailed for 15 months. Shocking footage shows Iftikhar repeatedly accusing Ms Walsh of being a racist and says: 'You called me a p*ki in front of everybody'. Iftikhar's wife and children can be heard crying in the background, pleading for him to stop as they were comforted by horrified cabin crew staff. Cabin crew were forced to discuss landing in Turkey due to his disruptive behaviour to which Iftikhar replied, 'I don't care. f*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts'. He went on to say he knew where Mrs Walsh lived in Cardiff before shouting 'the white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear'. The court heard the incident had erupted when Iftikhar was told to stop picking up ice with his hands from the bucket at the bar he was drinking at. '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 b****." '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 contacted, and turned the seat belt lights on. 'The defendant then shouted, and said: "Look at this b**** having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f*** is this b**** doing?' Iftikhar returned to his seat and called crew member Angie Walsh a 'f****** b****.' Mr Kapadia said: '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*** 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, called Tommy Merchant, and told him to shut up and go away. 'He told Mr Merchant: "Do you know who I am? F*** 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 Mr Iftikhar leant forward and grabbed Ms Walsh's hand, squeezing it. 'Iftikhar called Ms Walsh a 'f****** white Welsh c***.' 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 Ms Walsh: "You will be dead on the floor of your hotel". 'Iftikhar shouted at Ms Walsh and said: "The white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear. 'He told Ms Walsh: "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 details of the hotel turned out to be correct, and Ms Walsh had to stay there overnight, and could not sleep, Mr Kapadia said. Mr Kapadia said when the plane landed in Pakistan no action was taken against Iftikhar. Ms Walsh sat in court accompanied by her sister, Claire Walsh, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant in their uniforms. She told how she had to take 14 months off work in a victim impact statement read to the court. She said: 'I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously. 'I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my, my job, my career and my life. '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. 'But I don't feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack. '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. 'There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don't know what to do. 'Even the threat of diverting the plane to Turkey or Baku, Azerbaijan, had no effect. 'I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. '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, of Iver, Buckinghamshire, admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment, in relation to Ms Walsh. He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Mr Merchant. Ben Walker-Nolan, defending, said Iftikhar was suffering from 'amnesia blood loss', which contributed to what happened. Mr Walker-Nolan added: 'Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited. 'The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret. 'He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years. 'He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people.' Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008. He was fined £3,000 in 2021 after he was caught drink driving, as well as being under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls Royce in 2021. Family members wept in the public gallery as the judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children. 'These were threats made with significant violence. 'Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. 'Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work. 'This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh. 'You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. 'Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. 'This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.' Iftikhar, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey suit with a pink shirt, and a yellow tie wept as he was jailed for 15 months. According to his LinkedIn profile he is the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: '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 Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner. We are proud of Angie for her bravery in court and we will continue to offer her our full support.'
