A middle-aged man has been jailed after marching into the business-class section of a flight from Thailand and hurling a passenger into the aisle so he could take his seat.

Edward Gough, 54, who had been drinking in economy class, had to be restrained by fellow passengers on the Eva Air flight from Bangkok to London in November 2006. Gough, a mechanic, who said he was devastated by what he had done, was given a six-month jail sentence after admitting three charges of common assault on a passenger and members of the crew.

Isleworth Crown Court was told that he had been taking prescribed diazepam as well as drinking, and could not recall a thing about the attack.

Judge Patricia Dangor said that it was reckless to take alcohol with prescribed drugs. “The fact you don’t remember is neither here nor there. You assaulted three people. People who fly have a duty to make sure that their behaviour doesn’t frighten other people. Your behaviour was nothing short of terrifying.” A custodial sentence was required as a deterrent to others, she said.

Robert Meikle, for the prosecution, said that Gough, of Thetford, Norfolk, had drunk several glasses of wine before walking into business class and grabbing a passenger, Sung Pin Chen, who was “sitting minding his own business”. He “pulled him from his seat and deposited him in the aisle”.

The purser, Lisa Liao, asked Gough to get out of the seat, and he started walking back towards economy. But as they went through the “elite” section he grabbed another seat. He attacked the purser when she tried to remove him. “He jumped up, grabbed her neck and pushed her on to the armrest, hurting her back,” Mr Meikle said.

“He grabbed her round the neck a second time and she could smell alcohol on his breath. Another member of the crew, Zsu-Ting Lin, tried to stop him and he pushed her in the chest and face. She fell backwards to the floor, banging her head, and she was unable to continue with her duties for the remainder of the flight.”

Gough was restrained by other crew and passengers until they arrived in Heathrow, where he was arrested.

Simon Gruchy, for Gough, said that the defendant had no memory of his behaviour. He told the court: “This is a man who was devastated when faced with the reality of what he did.”

Times Recommends

• ‘Thousands of Tamils dying’ in Sri Lanka camp
• Jackson 'rebuilt his nose before he died'
• Tehran: militiamen attack protesters