A MAN WHO was filmed racially abusing a woman onboard a Ryanair flight will reportedly face prosecution in Spain.
Footage of the incident, which occurred on a flight from Barcelona to London Stansted, went viral in October.
Ryanair reported the incident to Essex Police at the time, and yesterday the force confirmed that David Mesher (70) would not be prosecuted in the UK.
However, HuffPost UK has reported that Spanish authorities have launched legal proceedings against Mesher, who referred to fellow passenger Delsie Gayle (78) an “ugly black bastard” and refused to sit beside her on the plane.
The incident, which occurred before the flight took off, ended when Gayle moved from her seat. Mesher was allowed to remain in his seat and was not removed from the flight.
Speaking to ITV News after the incident, Gayle said she felt “really depressed” and was unable to sleep or eat. Mesher, meanwhile, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he is not racist but lost his temper.
‘Disturbing footage’
Aida Guillen, director of citizen’s rights at Barcelona City Hall, told Huffpost UK the process is moving forward slowly.
“Barcelona City Council has provided the prosecutor with the information regarding the victim and the testimony; he has everything in his hands and has reaffirmed to us today that there is a case and he will go on with it,” Guillen said.
Carol Gayle, the victim’s daughter, told the website: “It’s going to take time but we’re happy that this is being taken seriously.”
In a statement issued yesterday, Essex Police said it had “completed a thorough investigation” after the “disturbing footage” emerged.
“We have completed our enquiries as far as we are legally able to, given that the incident did not happen within our jurisdiction and are now in contact with the Spanish legal authorities so that they can determine how they wish to proceed,” the statement said.
Comments are closed for legal reasons.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say