A Newton Aycliffe man has been banged up in Dubai after allegedly groping an air stewardess’ back-side on a plane.
Terry “Tez” Harrison reportedly knocked back six shots of vodka during his connecting flight from Bangkok.
The 40-year-old was also accused of annoying passengers on board the Emirates flight in April.
Harrison was arrested when he arrived in Dubai and has been on remand since.
And this week he was jailed for three months, the Sun reported today.
It’s understood Harrison was on his way back from New Zealand after the self-employed engineer was working there on a short-term contract.
He’s pictured (above) in February this year just before he was due to fly out.
Harrison was also charged with breaching Islamic laws on alcohol – despite the fact that he was served drinks by airline staff.
The Dubai court ruled that as the plane was registered in Dubai, Harrison should have had a special licence, allowing him special dispensation to drink alcohol.
He denied molesting a flight attendant but admitted drinking alcohol without a licence – but he was convicted of both and jailed for three months and fined £320 by Judge Izzat Mansour.
It’s believed he will be released soon after spending time on remand since the incident nearly three months ago.
An Emirates Spokesman said: “We cannot comment on court judgments that we have not seen.
“However, many countries have laws prohibiting offensive behaviour on board aircraft and regularly prosecute unruly and disruptive passengers for such incidents.
“The international community is also currently taking steps to update the Tokyo Convention regarding disruptive passengers, due to the concerns of many governments about the escalation of the severity and frequency of unruly behaviour on board aircraft.
“Emirates provides complimentary beverages to passengers aged 21 years and over.”