Dubai: A sailor has been jailed for one year for getting drunk and then endangering an Emirates flight’s safety by trying to enter the cockpit and molesting and assaulting two crew members.

The 28-year-old Ukrainian sailor, V.J., was said to have been drunk when he started behaving rowdily and causing trouble on the Dubai-bound flight in February.

He also turned aggressive towards the flight’s security officer and the two air hostesses when they tried to calm him down.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the defendant for risking the plane’s safety, air rage and molestation.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal also fined the accused Dh1,000 for drinking.

The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

Records said V.J. ran up and down the aisle and tried to enter the cockpit. He also groped a Romanian hostess and hugged and tried to kiss her Filipina co-worker.

Prosecutors charged the sailor with assaulting government employees (the security officer and air hostesses) while they were trying to do their job.

When V.J. appeared in court, he admitted that he had had alcohol but denied the rest of his charges.

When asked if he assaulted the victims, the accused claimed that he acted in self-defence.

The Romanian stewardess said the incident took place 90 minutes after take off from Singapore.

“He misbehaved on board and tried to smoke a cigar. V.J. also tried to enter the cockpit a number of times when he was under the influence of alcohol. We prevented him from drinking more liquor. The flight’s security officer and others managed to restrain the defendant and buckle him into his seat after the pilot ordered them to do so. The defendant groped me,” she said.

The Filipina said V.J. molested her as well.

The flight’s Sri Lankan security officer said they prevented him from entering the cockpit.

“When the pilot ordered us to restrain him and buckle him in his seat, he acted rowdily and assaulted us. We managed to buckle him into his seat until the plane landed safely in Dubai where he was handed over to the police,” said the officer.

The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.