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A female airline passenger, who had to be physically restrained by cabin crew on a flight to Birmingham from Crete, has been jailed for 10 months after admitting being drunk on an aircraft and racially abusing fellow passengers.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that 30 minutes into the Thomson flight from Crete last July, Marsha Woodwart locked herself in a toilet on the jet and refused to come out.

Cabin crew attempted to assist Woodwart, 41, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but she became abusive towards them.

The crew then noticed smoke coming out of the toilet and removed the door to find Woodwart drunk clutching a litre bottle of vodka and a cigarette butt on the toilet floor.

She refused to leave the toilet, so the aircraft captain authorised crew to use restraints on her.

However, she continued to be verbally abusive to the crew and began to spit at them. She also racially-abused fellow passengers and also spat at them.

When the Boeing 757 arrived at Birmingham International Airport, Woodwart was arrested by police and charged with being drunk on an aircraft, intentionally interfering with the performance of a member of crew, racially-aggravated common assault and racially-aggravated harassment. She admitted the charges.

Suzanne Llewellyn, head of West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service’s Crown Court Unit, said: “Marsha Woodwart’s behaviour on a passenger flight was not only illegal and dangerous, but it must have been extremely distressing to her fellow passengers, which would have included young children.

“Before you board your flight and once you have entered the aircraft, all passengers are reminded that it is strictly prohibited to smoke on the plane. Woodwart ignored these instructions, locked herself in the toilet, began to smoke a cigarette and consume alcohol from a bottle which she had purchased from duty free.

“In her inebriated state, she refused to exit the toilet which resulted in the cabin crew having to remove her and due to her aggressive behaviour, restrain her.

“Even when she was restrained, she continued to lash out at the crew and she became racially abusive towards some of her fellow passengers.

“We hope this prosecution sends out a clear message that this type of behaviour on passenger flight will not be tolerated. Those who commit such offences and put an aircraft and its passengers in danger will be robustly prosecuted.”