THIS is the shocking moment a Virgin Atlantic passenger hurled abuse at a hostess he threatened to “gang rape and set alight”
Disturbing footage shows Salman Iftikhar, 37, tell stewardess Angie Walsh she would be attacked in her hotel after landing.
He spouted his vile rant after downing champagne on an eight-hour flight from London Heathrow to Lahore on February 7 2023.
Iftikhar said Ms Walsh would be taken from her hotel room, gang raped and set on fire.
Another passenger, who filmed the shocking scenes, can be heard saying “holy s**t”.
Iftikhar repeatedly accuses Ms Walsh of being a racist and says: “You called me a P**i in front of everybody.”
The 37-year-old had been flying with his wife and three children, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
According to Abdul Kapadia, who was prosecuting, the defendant was observed engaging in certain actions during his initial meal service. Specifically, the defendant was seen taking ice with his hands while leaning over the bar where he was drinking and helping himself to the ice.
“When told to stop, the defendant became irate, and started to film cabin crew with his phone, telling them: ‘Do not tell me what to do you b***h.
“When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: ‘Don’t tell me what to do you racist f***ing b***h. I know where you are from in Cardiff.”
Staff alerted the pilot and the seat belt signs were turned on, which only aggravated Iftikhar more.
He continued to call Ms Walsh a “f***ing b***h” before his escalating behaviour sparked a possible flight diversion to Turkey.
“The defendant was informed of this possible diversion, to which he replied: ‘I don’t care. F**k-it, go to Turkey. I have contacts,” the prosecutor told the court.
“The defendant then sat down, but his aggressive behaviour continued.
“His wife was ashamed. His three children were also on-board,
and other crew members were called to assist, but the defendant continued shouting and swearing.
“He was slurring his words, with his voice raised.
“He shouted at the cabin crew: ‘Do you know who I am?’
“The defendant’s wife went to the food bar and tried to talk to cabin crew, but the defendant pushed his wife away, and shouted at her not to talk to crew.”
He grabbed one flight attendant, called Tommy Merchant, and threatened him with a fight.
‘YOU WILL BE DEAD’
The out-of-control passenger then told cabin crew he would blow up the floor of their hotel.
“The defendant knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew with this,” Mr Kapadia told the court.
“He told Ms Walsh: ‘You will be dead on the floor of your hotel’.
“Iftikhar shouted at Ms Walsh and said: ‘The white sheep sh**ging b***h will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear.
“He told Ms Walsh: ‘You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire’.”
His violent rant unfolded in front of his wife and three young children – who were brought to tears.
Iftikhar was arrested at his £900,000 detached home in Iver, Bucks, on March 16, 2024.
‘IT HAS BROKEN ME’
In an impact statement, Ms Walsh said she was forced to take off 14 months and the altercation “changed my life enormously”.
“I can’t quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my, my job, my career and my life,” she said.
“I am a strong brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company.
“But I had to take 14 months off work.
“I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I’ve even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me.
“But I don’t feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack.
“I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go.
“There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don’t know what to do.
“Even the threat of diverting the plane to Turkey or Baku, Azerbaijan, had no effect.
“I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped.
“Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do.
“I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me.”
He told Ms Walsh: ‘You will be dead on the floor of your hotel’
Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia
Iftikhar, of Iver, Bucks, admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment, in relation to Ms Walsh.
He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Mr Merchant.
Ben Walker-Nolan, defending, said Iftikhar was suffering from “amnesia blood loss” at the time.
Mr Walker-Nolan added: “Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited.
“The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret.
“He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years.
“He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people.”
THUG JAILED
Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008 and failing to stop and possession of cannabis in 2021.
Judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: “Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children.
“These were threats made with significant violence.
“Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats.
“Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work.
“This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh.
“You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem.
“Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved.
“This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.”
Iftikhar cried in the dock as he was jailed for 15 months.
His LinkedIn profile stated that he was the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft.
“We will always work closely with the relevant authorities and will not hesitate to seek prosecution for those individuals that cause disruption onboard through unacceptable behaviour.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner.
“We are proud of Angie for her bravery in court and we will continue to offer her our full support.”
