Drunk lawyer jailed for racist rant in midair

Simone Burns (50), a human rights lawyer who spat at a flight attendant and was filmed shouting at Air India cabin crew in a racist and foul mouthed tirade during a nine-hour flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow last November  was initially served with 3, 25cl bottles of wine on the flight  then refused to serve more.

Sentencing her yesterday, Judge Nicholas Wood said “The experience of a drunk unrepentant irrational person in the confines of an aircraft is frightening, not least on a long-haul flight  and is a risk to safety”.

He said although her hour-long rant did not put the aircraft in danger, there is no escape at 30, 000 feet. Although Burns was of impeccable character a jail term was inevitable, he added.

The Belfast born business class passenger, who lives in Hove, East Sussex,   labelled the crew “Indian money grabbing c***s” and was also twice caught smoking in the toilet said “I am an International criminal lawyer. I do not get any money for it by the way and  you can’t give me a f888ing glass of wine”.

 

Burns later spat on  Supervisor Dastur Pervin,  and squeezed her harm so hard  it hurt. She was eventually escorted off the plane by three armed police officers at Heathrow.

 

After admitting charges at Isleworth Crown Court , she was jailed six months for being drunk on an aircraft and two months for common assault to be served concurrently. Burns was also ordered to pay £300 to Ms Pervin.