Drunk mother 'stripped on flight'
A mother is alleged to have drunkenly stripped to her knickers on a flight to Heathrow Airport and allowed a fellow passenger to fondle her, a court heard.
Clare Irby, a member of the Guinness brewing dynasty, was flying from Bangalore on Kingfisher Airlines on 26 March when the incident occurred.
The flight's captain, Vivek Sondhi, told Isleworth Crown Court that she was "on the verge of being dangerous".
Ms Irby, 30, of Fulham, west London, denies being drunk on an aircraft.
Polly O'Callaghan, another passenger on the flight, alleged that Ms Irby had been acting flirtatiously with Daniel Melia who was sitting in the seat behind.
Ms Irby and Mr Melia, 36, had drunk several glasses of red wine together, the court was told.
Ms O'Callaghan said she heard Ms Irby say, "I'm not normally this relaxed. It's just all the opium I've been taking".
She added that the comment may have been made in jest.
She said the pair were loud and abusive, claiming they regularly pressed the attendant call button.
Child concerns
It was further alleged that Mr Melia's girlfriend moved away from him because she was being ignored.
Ms O'Callaghan said she also had concerns for Ms Irby's two-year-old son.
She said that he was jumping up and down on a seat while Ms Irby slept.
She also accused Ms Irby of putting her hand into the face of a female flight attendant, while swearing at another one.
Describing Ms Irby and Mr Melia's behaviour, Mr Sondhi said: "They were on the verge of being dangerous, I would say, so I asked my flight director to stop serving them any more liquor.
'Getting personal'
"They were kind of sprawled in the seats. They were slurring and the man was a little more aggressive in his behaviour."
Meanwhile, flight attendant Shivaneji Sharma said that Ms Irby took off her skirt, revealing her G-string, before changing into a pair of leggings.
In evidence on Monday, Arpita Mehra, another flight attendant, said: "She was busy with the guest sitting behind her. They were having a conversation and getting personal with each other and the child was crying.
"The man was leaning forward and grabbing hold of her breast and they were kissing each other."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8257268.stm
A mother is alleged to have drunkenly stripped to her knickers on a flight to Heathrow Airport and allowed a fellow passenger to fondle her, a court heard.
Clare Irby, a member of the Guinness brewing dynasty, was flying from Bangalore on Kingfisher Airlines on 26 March when the incident occurred.
The flight's captain, Vivek Sondhi, told Isleworth Crown Court that she was "on the verge of being dangerous".
Ms Irby, 30, of Fulham, west London, denies being drunk on an aircraft.
Polly O'Callaghan, another passenger on the flight, alleged that Ms Irby had been acting flirtatiously with Daniel Melia who was sitting in the seat behind.
Ms Irby and Mr Melia, 36, had drunk several glasses of red wine together, the court was told.
Ms O'Callaghan said she heard Ms Irby say, "I'm not normally this relaxed. It's just all the opium I've been taking".
She added that the comment may have been made in jest.
She said the pair were loud and abusive, claiming they regularly pressed the attendant call button.
Child concerns
It was further alleged that Mr Melia's girlfriend moved away from him because she was being ignored.
Ms O'Callaghan said she also had concerns for Ms Irby's two-year-old son.
She said that he was jumping up and down on a seat while Ms Irby slept.
She also accused Ms Irby of putting her hand into the face of a female flight attendant, while swearing at another one.
Describing Ms Irby and Mr Melia's behaviour, Mr Sondhi said: "They were on the verge of being dangerous, I would say, so I asked my flight director to stop serving them any more liquor.
'Getting personal'
"They were kind of sprawled in the seats. They were slurring and the man was a little more aggressive in his behaviour."
Meanwhile, flight attendant Shivaneji Sharma said that Ms Irby took off her skirt, revealing her G-string, before changing into a pair of leggings.
In evidence on Monday, Arpita Mehra, another flight attendant, said: "She was busy with the guest sitting behind her. They were having a conversation and getting personal with each other and the child was crying.
"The man was leaning forward and grabbing hold of her breast and they were kissing each other."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8257268.stm
