AN international medical equipment salesman from Harlow who downed one mini-bottle of wine after another on an 11-hour flight has admitted drunkenly assaulting a 70-year-old woman sitting next to him.
Andrew Few, 39, of Harlow, was on a BA flight from South Africa to the UK alongside a pensioner who was visiting her son.
The divorced dad-of-one had already consumed a glass of wine before boarding the flight from Johannesburg.
He also took a beer on board with him and was given a complementary glass of champagne as a frequent flyer after achieving Gold air miles status with British Airways.
The prosecution described how Few became overly-friendly with a 70-year-old woman sitting next to him and then aggressive with staff when he was moved.
Few avoided prison with a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting the woman and being drunk onboard the BA A380 aircraft on August 19, last year.
A charge of sexually assaulting the woman, who was due to give video link evidence from South Africa, was dropped on the day of the trial along with another common assault count against another woman.
Few received six months imprisonment, suspended for two years and must complete 120 hours community service work.
He was also fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,200 in court costs and £800 compensation to the victim.