Joseph Breslin, 36, previously of the New Inn, Hayes; the Fox and Hounds, Carshalton; and the Baskerville, Croydon – the latter two of which both closed their doors earlier this year – was charged after he passed Muneera Al-Gahtari and Salem Omar Shamlam a note that read “death to Allah” on a Qatar Airways flight while returning from his honeymoon in Doha.
The note, which also included a racial slur, had to be translated for the recipient couple upon landing in Heathrow because English wasn’t their first language.
Breslin – who has since lost his personal licence to sell alcohol – was also spotted scrawling on an armrest five minutes before the plane was due to land after reportedly becoming “fed up” at service.
Breslin, who had previously been involved with learning disability charity Mencap’s activities in the Bromley area, avoided jail time as a result of what Recorder Bruce Holder QC described as the “immense benefit” he had offered his local community, the fact he was under personal and professional stress, and the deep remorse he showed for his actions, which were deemed to be out of character.
He was, however, handed a community order to complete 160 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay the airline £3,604, which included £983 in damage costs, for making the seat unusable, and also £300 prosecution costs.
Offensive and inflammatory
While passing the sentence, Recorder Holder said: "You had, according to the evidence provided by the Crown, been complaining in the earlier part of that flight about the service, and your mood was not good.
"And as the aircraft landed, and was coming to a standstill at Heathrow, it was noticed that you had scribbled something on the armrest of the seat.
"The words simply said 'death to Allah'. Before that aircraft came to a halt, you were disobeying the seat belt sign, which was still illuminated.
"You got up, walked around to other passengers who, you complained, had in some way given you offence, and put a piece of paper on the table between them.
"Fortunately, English wasn't their first language. It is difficult to think of a phrase, particularly these days, more offensive and potentially inflammatory as those words.
"Coming, as they did, from a grown man who should know better."