Judge throws book at abusive, gin-swigging air passenger, 58, by locking him up as a deterrent despite sentencing guidelines

By JAMES TOZER, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT and CRAIG MCGLASSON Published: 16:42, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 16:42, 16 June 2026 A gin-swigging air passenger who yelled obscenities at cabin crew and fellow travellers has been jailed as a deterrent to other drink-fuelled fliers.  Mohammed Koyes, 58, knocked back most of a one litre bottle of gin while travelling from Bangladesh to Heathrow Airport. He was then 'rude and abusive' towards people on the long-haul flight, at one point drunkenly stumbling on top of another passenger, a court heard.  Under Labour's new 'soft justice' guidelines, any prison sentence of 12 months or less must be suspended unless a judge concludes there are exceptional circumstances. But the judge, Recorder Philip Grundy said it was necessary to make an exception in his case, imposing an immediate four-month jail term.  'Offences of being drunk on an aircraft will always require appropriate and fitting punishment, especially to deter others,' he told Koyes.  'The appearance of a drunken person in the confines of an aircraft is terrifying and poses a risk to safety.'  The case comes after the Daily Mail revealed plans to ban drunk and abusive air passengers under proposals being drawn up by ministers. Mohammed Koyes, 58, (pictured) knocked back most of a one litre bottle of gin while travelling from Bangladesh to Heathrow Airport, a court heard Officials want to create a national 'blacklist' amid soaring 'air rage' attacks on plane crews and fellow travellers. Koyes bought the spirit at a duty-free store before bringing it on board the 'dry' flight on which alcohol was not being served, Carlisle Crown Court heard. 'He was unsteady, stumbling around into other passengers, swearing and shouting while swigging from the bottle,' said Brendan Burke, prosecuting.  'He was eventually controlled by other passengers.' Koyes claimed to have shared the bottle with another male who had never been identified.   He was charged after terrorising passengers and crew on a long-haul flight understood to have been operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines on October 20, 2021.  But he was unaware of the prosecution until an unrelated call was made to Cumbria police and this flagged up a warrant, the court heard.   Koyes was brought to court in April when he pleaded guilty to a charge of being drunk on an aircraft.   Chris Knox, defending, said Koyes had not been able to provide a clear picture of events on the aircraft.  'His recollection of the facts is not very good,' said Mr Knox.  Koyes, who is separated from his family, had relocated from Bradford to Carlisle, the court heard. 'There is a lot of time that has passed. He is of good character,' Mr Knox added.  But jailing Koyes, the judge told him he 'clearly brought that drink on board and consumed it'. 'After the first meals were served, you began shouting and swearing and being rude and abusive to air crew and other passengers,' Recorder Grundy said. 'Your behaviour continued causing alarm and distress to passengers as they were asking the staff to move away from you. 'You were clearly unsteady on your feet and, en route to use the toilet, stumbled on top of a passenger.  'All attempts to calm you failed and you were clearly seen on many occasions to draw out of the bottle of alcohol.  'Ultimately you had to be restrained. Fortunately the flight did not have to be diverted.'  The case comes after the boss of Ryanair argued that the traditional early morning airport pint should be banned. Michael O'Leary said his airline is being forced to divert flights almost daily because of drunken, aggressive passengers, and the problem is getting worse. Drunken, violent and abusive incidents on planes have been on the rise. In 2019, airlines reported 'difficulty in controlling intoxicated, violent or unruly' passengers 390 times. But this jumped to 1,245 incidents in 2023 and has remained above 1,000 annually, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.