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Passenger faces jail for writing on seat of Heathrow-bound flight
A passenger who was unhappy with the business class service on his Qatar Airways flight to Heathrow could be jailed after writing ‘death to Allah’ on his seat armrest.
Joseph Breslin, aged 36, allegedly scrawled the words after becoming tired and irritable.
He then wrote a note on a napkin, attacking Muslims wearing headscarves and dropped it between two passengers after the plane landed in London.
Isleworth Crown Court heard Breslin, the landlord of a south London pub, believed one of the passengers had been deliberately spraying perfume to annoy him.
The note, written in English, was translated to the passengers who were left ‘frightened and terrified’, according to prosecutor Bill McGivern.
Breslin was arrested following complaints to staff as he disembarked from the flight on July 8.
His defence said the incident was out of character, but Breslin pleaded guilty to two charges of religiously aggravated harassment and a count of religiously aggravated criminal damage.
He was released on bail until sentencing on October 31, at which, the judge warned, he is likely to be given a prison sentence.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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