Jail for bomb hoax during flight

A car worker whose "idiotic" behaviour triggered a bomb scare on an airliner flying to Britain from the Middle East was jailed for three years yesterday.

James Glen, 38, was told by a judge at Chelmsford Crown Court that he had caused a "serious threat" and subjected passengers to "gross" inconvenience.

Glen admitted "communicating information about a bomb hoax" on a flight with Etihad Airways heading from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow carrying 163 passengers and 15 crew on 24 January.

The alarm was raised and two RAF fighter jets scrambled after Glen, who had been drinking, told a flight attendant another passenger had a gun and had threatened to blow himself up. Judge Charles Gratwicke said any air traveller guilty of such behaviour could expect a jail sentence.