British lawyer admits abusing air crew after being refused more booze at breakfast
A British lawyer has admitted in court she was abusive to Air India staff after being refused more alcohol on a flight.
Simone Burns, known as Simone O’Broin, was served three bottles of wine with breakfast after taking off from Mumbai on a flight to London on November 11 2018.
When her request for more alcohol was denied, she got up from her business-class seat and began swearing and screaming.
Prosecutor Lauren Smith told the court: "She was shouting that she was a ‘f****** international lawyer’, telling staff to ‘f*** off’ and called them ‘f****** Indian money-grabbing c****’."
Sky News reports she then marched to the area where alcohol was being served, but then spat in the face of a cabin supervisor.
She also smoked a cigarette in the toilets and was abusive to other crew members and passengers.
The 50-year-old pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court to being drunk on an aircraft and assault by beating.
She will be sentenced on April 4.
Magistrate Robert Della-Sala told Burns: "The disruption was clearly over a long period of time, the level of racist abuse was prolonged and unwarranted. There’s no excuse for that.
"The spitting in the face must have been one of the most awful things that can happen to anybody, given the transmission of diseases."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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