A drunk passenger who sexually assaulted a woman during a four-hour Jet2 flight has been sentenced to a suspended prison term. Craig Lowe (53) groped the female passenger's thigh multiple times after consuming six small bottles of red wine on the November 12, 2023 flight from Manchester to Tenerife.
The Wigan man began making crude sexual comments to the woman sitting next to him, asking: "Are you going to f*** me then?" and "Would you come back to my hotel room so I can f*** you?" When she went to the toilet to escape his behaviour, Lowe grabbed her inner thigh upon her return, continuing the assault despite her telling him to stop.
Lowe's aggressive behaviour extended to other passengers, threatening another man who tried to help him after he dropped his phone. He told the passenger: "I'm going to kill you... go on... I'll have you outside." As they disembarked and boarded the bus to the terminal, the other passenger's wife loudly asked: "Can someone get this man away from us."
Victim impact and lasting trauma
The victim described how the incident devastated what was meant to be a family break. She told Manchester Crown Court: "This journey was supposed to be a relaxing trip away with my family after ten sets of shifts. I am now anxious to travel and I'll never sit on my own again."
The woman, already a nervous flier, said the lack of CCTV on board made her more apprehensive about future travel. She added: "There was no CCTV on board which makes me more apprehensive about travelling - it means there is nowhere to go. I'm just grateful that this occurred towards the end of a four hour flight."
Court sentencing and judicial warning
Judge Timothy Smith highlighted a concerning pattern of excessive drinking before flights, noting the court sees too many examples of people who "misbehave and drink to excess before going on a flight." He emphasised how such behaviour in confined aircraft spaces causes fear among passengers.
Defence lawyer Jason Smith said Lowe was an alcoholic at the time, which "ruined his life" and "broke up his marriage." The defence argued Lowe had since "rebuilt his life" and abstained from alcohol, though acknowledged he had "no excuse" for his behaviour.
Legal consequences
Lowe, of Lower Green Lane, Tyldesley, received 28 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months after pleading guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk and sexual assault. He must complete 150 hours unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
The sentence also requires Lowe to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for seven years. Judge Smith said the two-year delay in sentencing and Lowe's efforts to address his issues allowed him to suspend the prison sentence.
Sources used: "cornwalllive.com", "Manchester Evening News" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
