Man spared jail after drunkenly sexually assaulting girl halfway by means of flight
Stephen McClatchey had been found guilty of assaulting a woman on his way to Belfast, but appearing before court, he was able to escape with just a probation notice
The incident occurred on a flight bound for Belfast City(Image: PA)
A man who sexually assaulted a woman he was sat next to on a flight has managed to avoid going to prison. Instead, he is to face probation after confessing to the crime.
Stephen McClatchey, 33, had admitted to the sexual assault on the flight travelling from London to Belfast on September 13, 2024. Appearing before Belfast Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to the incident, which was reportedly only made worse by alcohol.
As a result of the ruling, McClatchey will now face a 10-month probation order, meaning he will need to be supervised by an officer on a regular basis. If, however, he reoffends, he could be put into prison for his “nasty” behaviour.
According to the Mirror, the court heard how Stephen had been travelling to Belfast from London and had already become quite drunk as the plane had taken off. As he asked for more drinks, cabin crew had refused him service as his behaviour towards them and other passengers was becoming more and more inappropriate.
As a regular flyer due to work commitments in England, McClatchey became more and more frustrated as a result of not having any more alcohol. He then targeted the unsuspecting woman who was sat next to him.
Prosecutors pressing Stephen said: “The female passenger reported that the defendant, without permission, took hold of her breast in his hand and squeezed it.” The woman was left shellshocked, and could not leave the plane until he had gotten off when the planed touched down in Belfast.
The victim, still traumatised by what happened, spoke with police when she disembarked the plane, but Stephen had already left the airport before officers could arrest him. He was eventually tracked down and brought in for questioning, where he initially claimed the woman had made the story up, saying she had tried to moves on him but he was not interested.
Paul Burns, a solicitor representing McClatchey, said that he had very little memory about what happened that night and has since quit drinking as a way to remedy the situation. Presiding over the case, Deputy District Judge Liam McStay doubted McClatchey’s initial version of events that night.
“He didn’t have any difficulty in telling police she was trying to come on to him,” the judge explained. He added during the court hearing that the offences were so strong that he could have given a prison sentence to.
“It is outrageous to hear, everybody in this court can imagine either being on holiday or a trip that gets disrupted by somebody behaving like this,” Judge McStay said. “This is probably the worst possible, most nasty way you can imagine that happening.”
Ultimately, Judge McStay passed a 10-month probation order onto McClutchey as a result of it being his first offence. On top of the probation order that he must follow, he must also take part in some 20 days worth of rehabilitation activities, as well as stay away from alcohol for 100 days, on top a £500 fine to be paid to be victim.
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