A 'drunken thug' who forced a pilot to divert a Thomas Cook flight during a 'terrifying' two-hour air rage incident has been jailed.

'Out of control' Natasha Allen, from Middleton, threatened and cornered the cabin manager during the flight from Manchester to Fuerteventura, one of Spain's Canary Islands.

She pulled her leggings and underwear down, exposing herself, during the episode which lasted over two hours.

Allen's 'loutish and self-indulgent' behaviour was so bad the captain made the decision to re-route the plane to Portugal, Manchester Crown Court heard.

She is now beginning a 15-month jail term after a judge said a clear message that disruptive behaviour on flights is not acceptable needed to be sent.

Earlier, the court heard Allen, 30, boarded the flight from Manchester Airport to Fuerteventura, on September 12 last year with two friends.

Around 200 passengers were on board.

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Allen was seen by cabin crew and other passengers 'behaving in a loud manner', Julian Taylor, prosecuting, said.

When staff began the first drinks service, Allen was seen getting out her own bottle of duty free vodka. She bought J20 juice to mix with the spirit, the court was told.

The half-empty bottle was confiscated. The court was told Allen had already drunk the other half in the departure lounge.

The captain then asked crew for Allen's passport details so the incident could be included on his flight report.

A member of the crew tried to find the passport in Allen's belongings when she was in the toilet.

When she returned, she screamed at the member of staff, calling her a 'f*****g thief'.

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Allen later went to the galley to complain about a member of crew 'spilling a drink on her jogging bottoms'.

She 'singled out' the most senior member of the cabin crew before 'pushing her back' towards one of the aircraft's doors, leaving her 'genuinely in fear'.

Allen, who was shouting and swearing, was asked to calm down as there were children on board.

The court heard she said: "I have had my children taken off me so I will swear If I want to, you can't f*****g stop me."

She also called a stewardess a 'f*****g liar'.

During the row, Allen pulled her jogging bottoms down and exposed herself staff, in view of passengers, Mr Taylor said.

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Crew readied restraint equipment, but feared Allen was too out of control for it to be used safely, the court heard.

She did eventually return to her seat, but at that point, the captain had already decided to divert the flight to Faro in the Algarve on Portugal's southern coast - around 700 miles a from the intended destination.

Allen told a probation officer she smokes cannabis every day.

At least one passenger thought 'she may not just be drunk but under the influence of something else', the court heard.

It was the first time in the pilot's 13-year career had had to divert a flight due to the behaviour of a passenger.

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Allen was hauled off by plane by the Portugese authorities, and, despite no action being taken there, she was summoned to court on her return to the UK/.

Allen, of Baguley Crescent, Middleton, initially denied the offences, but later pleaded guilty to being drunk on board an aircraft; as well as to a public order offence of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour against a person, causing them to believe that immediate unlawful violence will be used against them.

She has a number of other drink-related convictions including public order offences, assault and assault of a police officer.

Amos Waldman, defending, said: "She accepts the facts of those offences and this one, and she tells me she's ashamed she committed them.

"Nearly all of them involve alcohol.

"She has reduced her consumption since this incident and she has flown since this incident without any issues.

"This holiday was a break from her caring activities, and for her birthday, which was on September 17.

"The altitude did have an impact on how the alcohol affected her. This incident was clearly extremely unpleasant.

"I don't seek to minimise the circumstances of this offence.

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"But she was able to be returned to her seat without being restrained and without causing any physical injuries."

Judge Hilary Manley said Allen had reached the 'end of the line'.

Jailing for her 15 months she said: "You boarded a flight to Fuertenventura with around 200 passengers on board.

"You had with you a half empty bottle of vodka, the other half you had consumed in the departure lounge.

"You knew full well , as it is made very clear, that you are not permitted to open or consume your own duty free alcohol until you get to your destination.

"You were drunk. You were also likely under the influence of cannabis.

"When the cabin crew had to confront you your threatening behaviour began in earnest.

"You singled out on senior member of cabin crew for particularly aggressive treatment.

"She genuinely believed you were going to hit and seriously injure her.

"You also pulled down your leggings and underwear and exposed yourself in front of other passengers.

"The captain could hear and see your behaviour from the cockpit.

"It must be distracting and unnerving for the captain to know that on the other side of the cockpit door is an unpredictable, drunk and aggressive person threatening their crew.

"Your drunken, loutish, self-indulgent behaviour caused unease and disruption to passengers and cost and disruption to the airline.

"For passengers to be trapped on a metal tube at 40,000 feet with a drunken thug is terrifiying."

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Speaking after the case, detective sergeant Alex Wild from GMP said: "She subjected the cabin crew and cabin manager in particular to a prolonged barrage of verbal abuse and physical aggression in what is a very confined environment.

"In her drunken rage Allen showed a selfish disregard not just for the crew, but for her fellow passengers including young children who were subjected to her appalling behaviour on this flight.

"Hopefully, sentences such as this demonstrate the seriousness with which the courts take this type of behaviour and will serve as a deterrent for any passengers considering boarding or becoming drunk on an aircraft in the future."