A dad’s drunken pre-take-off rampage forced a plane to turn around on the runway after he called a cabin crew member a ‘son of a bitch’.
Lewis Howarth, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, staggered through the aisles and hurled verbal abuse at a flight attendant who had asked him to put on his seat belt.
As armed police then tried to carry him off the plane, the 36-year-old was heard shouting “I’ll bite you, you son of a bitch” before trying to sink his teeth into an officer.
The Jet2 flight, from Manchester to Dalaman, Turkey, had already been delayed by 90 minutes before Howarth’s eruption began.
As two officers boarded the plane, the father-of-two shouted: ‘F*** off you pr***’ and had to be tackled to the ground for fear he would headbutt one of them.
He was then carried off the plane amid cheers from his fellow passengers as he tried to approach them with his head down.
Once on the airlift, he also shouted, “I’m going to bite you, you son of a bitch,” as he lashed out with his legs and kicked an officer in the face.
The flight had to delay take-off for another unknown period as Howarth – who runs a construction company – was bundled into a wheelchair and taken to a waiting police van.
Lewis Howarth (pictured) went on a drunken pre-take-off rampage that forced a plane to turn around on the runway after calling a cabin crew member a ‘d***head’
Lewis Howarth staggered through the aisles before hurling verbal abuse at a flight attendant. As armed police then tried to carry him off the plane, the 36-year-old was heard shouting: ‘I’ll bite you, you c***’. Pictured: Howarth on another flight, just a day after his drunken outburst
The Jet2 flight, from Manchester to Dalaman, Turkey, had already been delayed by 90 minutes before Howarth’s eruption began. He then boarded another flight on a different airline to Turkey the next day, where he joined his partner and children. In the photo: Howarth in Turkey
He then hopped on another airline to Turkey the next day, where he joined his partner and children – and even posted a series of lighthearted Facebook posts about his arrest, saying: ‘Okay, let’s try this again. This time just a coke’, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Howarth appeared to be enjoying his sunny holiday and was seen riding a jet ski, taking selfies with camels and driving a beach buggy in photos on social media.
At Tameside Magistrates Court, Howarth was told he faced a prison sentence of up to two years after admitting being drunk on a plane, assaulting and punching a regular emergency worker.
He was remanded to court for sentencing next month after the JPs deemed their sentencing powers insufficient.
The incident occurred on August 29 this year when Howarth boarded flight LS921 at Manchester Airport after drinking heavily in the departure lounge.
Gareth Hughes, prosecuting, said: ‘The fight was due to start at 4.15pm but was postponed until approximately 5.45pm.
‘A flight attendant noticed that the suspect appeared very drunk.
“She approached the man and asked him to take a seat and put on his seat belt. He tried but struggled due to his intoxicated nature.
‘He slurred his speech and swore, he had dilated pupils, his coordination was very poor and he could not put on a seat belt.
‘She informed the pilot of the situation and for the next ten minutes she continued to talk to the defendant. But he still seemed to be disruptive.
Howarth appeared to be enjoying his sunny holiday and was seen riding a jet ski, taking selfies with camels and driving a beach buggy in photos on social media
Pictured: Howarth appears to be enjoying driving a beach buggy during his trip to Turkey
‘He got out of his chair and called her a ‘d***head’ and was asked to sit down and told he could be removed.
‘But he got up and got in her face and she thought he was trying to intimidate her. By then they were already on their way from the gate to the runway, but when the pilot heard news of the situation, he wanted the male removed from the flight.
‘They then taxied back to the gate to wait for the police to arrive. Police met the aircraft and the cabin crew explained that the defendant did not listen to the safety briefing and did not swear at the passengers.
“The officers were met with applause, demonstrating the defendant’s poor behavior prior to their arrival.
‘The suspect was sitting in the back of the plane. He stood up, but immediately tripped over his feet because he had to hold on to a chair. His eyes were red, his face was red. He was clearly extremely drunk.
“One of the officers tried to walk him down the aisle, but when an officer said to Ecob, ‘Do you need help?’ the defendant said: ‘F*** off you pr***.’
“The officer asked if he meant that to him or to a passenger and he simply said, ‘Yes.’
Here Howarth is seen taking a selfie with a camel in Turkey. At Tameside Crown Court, Howarth was told he faced a two-year prison sentence after admitting being drunk on a plane, assaulting and punching a regular emergency worker.
‘Because he was aggressive and did not express himself, the officer grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, while the other officer held the suspect’s arms from behind. But he leans his head forward, toward the passengers still in their seats.
‘The officer was afraid he was going to headbutt him, so he grabbed his legs from under him, carried him off the plane and handcuffed him on the airlift.
‘The officers found a nearby wheelchair to take him to a lift to the airport, where a police van was waiting.
He was heard saying: ‘I’ll bite you, you son of a bitch’ and tried to bite Officer Ben Morton on the hand.
“The other officers took control of his head to prevent him from continuing to try to bite him. He also lashed out with his legs and kicked PC Ecob in the mouth with his feet.
‘He did not suffer any injury or serious injury as the suspect was not wearing any shoes, he only had socks on his feet – although it did cause temporary pain to the mouth and teeth. The officer then punched him in the stomach to prevent further assault.”
In a statement, PC Morton said: ‘The defendant was irresponsible and had no regard for the safety of other passengers or the police officers he resisted in a confined space.
‘I will never understand why people find this kind of behavior appropriate. It can never be justified. ‘
Howarth had previously been convicted of assaulting police and drink driving. His lawyer Jon Mail said: ‘It is to some extent inevitable that the case will go to the Crown Court.’
To save Howarth, JP Brendan Harte told him: ‘We feel that with this reckless, erratic and frankly dangerous behavior on the plane.
‘Although it had not yet taken off, it was still taxiing and there was potential for damage beyond description.
“It’s just fortunate that the pilot made this decision because the concern of the other passengers and crew must have been great.”
At the end of the hearing, Howarth said from the dock: ‘It won’t happen again. I don’t even drink anymore.’
A Jet 2 spokesperson said: ‘On 29 August this year, our highly trained crew on board flight LS921 from Manchester to Dalaman chose to immobilize the aircraft again before take-off to allow police to discharge Mr Howarth, due to his disgusting behavior. .
‘As a family-friendly airline, we have a zero-tolerance policy towards disruptive passenger behavior and we can confirm that Mr Howarth has been banned from flying with us for life.’