Drunk Ryanair passenger screams ‘I’m savage, I drink JD’ as pilot aborts touchdown
Stephen Blofield, 61, was so intoxicated on the Ryanair flight that both crew and fellow holidaymakers feared for their safety. He screamed ‘I’m savage, I drink JD’
Stephen Blofield, 61, has been jailed(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
A drunken airline passenger has been sentenced to 10 months behind bars for his violent and abusive conduct on a flight back to the UK from Poland, bellowing “I’m savage, I drink JD”.
Stephen Blofield, 61, was so inebriated on the Ryanair service that both staff and fellow travellers genuinely feared for their wellbeing. Bristol Crown Court was told Blofield became disorderly as the aircraft journeyed from Krakow to Bristol on November 11 last year.
He had begun consuming alcohol at the airport to settle his anxiety before the flight and continued while airborne – becoming hostile towards the Polish cabin crew. As the flight approached Bristol Airport, the British captain was forced to abandon his initial landing attempt because Blofield refused to remain seated and secure his seatbelt.
When the aircraft eventually touched down, officers were positioned ready to detain him. Ian Fenny, prosecuting, stated: “When the officers boarded the flight and approached him, they found him to be drunk, aggressive and confrontational.
“Because of the confined space within the fuselage of an aeroplane, they were concerned that he might strike out and inflame the situation where they noticed that other passengers were already agitated.
“Eventually he was arrested and handcuffed and indeed during this process he struck out, narrowly missing the passenger to his left. The principal officer describes the defendant’s abuse as effectively the worst that he had to endure in 20 years as a police officer.”
Mr Fenny stated that Blofield’s conduct was “so alarming and potentially dangerous” that he required removal from the aircraft using an ambulift, which is typically used for disabled passengers. “As a result of the defendant’s behaviour, passengers were essentially stranded on board as the police, and particularly cabin crew, attempted to evacuate the plane quietly and safely,” Mr Fenny stated.
“Due to the defendant’s behaviour and his actual seating position within the aircraft, that proved extremely challenging. Consequently, numerous passengers had little choice but to endure further exposure to what police described as the defendant’s vile verbal aggression.”
During an earlier hearing, Blofield, of Goshawk Road, Haverfordwest, West Wales, admitted being drunk on an aircraft, using threatening or abusive language to cabin crew, failing to comply with the pilot’s instructions, and an offence under the Public Order Act of using threatening abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Sam Louwers, defending, explained the defendant had misplaced his medication for back pain, depression and anxiety prior to the flight to Poland and resorted to alcohol for the journey home. “Ultimately, Mr Blofield was a man who has come from a difficult background and eventually found himself in Poland due to tracing of family roots,” he said. “When he found himself in Poland without his medication, he went into a form of withdrawal, confining himself to his hotel room and decided on that basis that he needed to return to the UK earlier than planned.
“When he got to the airport, his anxiety, depression, pain levels were sky high and he became incredibly nervous of flying and so foolishly decided that now would be the right time to settle his nerves, as many do, with a drink at the airport.”
The defendant had “no recollection” of the incident but had seen videos posted on social media of his behaviour, according to his lawyer. “He’s never denied his behaviour, he’s never denied his actions, and as he explained to the police the reason he was struggling so much was because of that medical withdrawal,” Mr Louwers said.
“Mr Blofield is distressed by his behaviour, he’s distressed as to what he has witnessed in these videos. He is also distressed as to the fact that he has found himself before you today. He understands that his behaviour could have easily, and has, disrupted other passengers and the airline. He understands that it could have caused distress to other people, and most importantly, he understands that his behaviour is nothing short of unacceptable.”
Judge Euan Ambrose sentenced Blofield, who is on benefits and has an extensive criminal record, to 10 months in prison. “This is a case where only a custodial sentence can be justified,” he stated. “It is so serious that no other form of sentence would be appropriate.
“You were drunk when you got on board and you continued to drink while on board, becoming increasingly drunk during the flight. Your behaviour deteriorated, you became disruptive and aggressive and refused to follow basic safety instructions from the crew, such as being asked to sit down, fasten your seatbelt and matters of that sort.
“You caused great concern and fear amongst fellow passengers and also fear and alarm to the crew. Your behaviour was such that the first attempt at landing into Bristol had to be aborted and when the plane finally did manage to land, police were called and boarded the plane. When they approached you, they found you drunk, aggressive, confrontational and extraordinarily abusive towards them.”
