Recruitment boss threatened to gang rape air hostess and blow up hotel in mid-flight rampage

Salman Iftikhar, 37, was flying first class with his wife and three children when he threatened and abused Virgin Atlantic staff on a flight from London Heathrow to Lahore

A recruitment boss was left in tears as he was handed a 15-month prison sentence for unleashing a vile torrent of racist abuse and death threats on flight cabin crew during a champagne-fuelled binge.

Salman Iftikhar, 37, was travelling first class with his family when he subjected Virgin Atlantic staff to a terrifying ordeal on an eight hour flight from London Heathrow to Lahore.

At 39,000 feet, Iftikhar’s behaviour descended into chaos, as he threatened to drag stewardess Angie Walsh from her hotel room, gang rape her, and set her alight. In another shocking outburst, he punched a British traveller after hurling homophobic abuse at air staff, while his wife and children begged him to stop.

One of Iftikhar’s estimated 100 outbursts was captured on film by a fellow passenger, who can be heard exclaiming “holy s**t” as Iftikhar accused Walsh of racism, claiming: “You called me a p**i in front of everybody.”

When challenged by crew, he became aggressive and started filming them, reports the Express.

Prosecutor Abdul Kapadia said Iftikhar began drinking champagne at the onboard bar before helping himself to ice with his hands. When challenged by crew, he became aggressive and started filming them. As his aggression escalated, Iftikhar refused to return to his seat, telling crew: “Don’t tell me what to do you racist f****** b****. I know where you are from in Cardiff.”

When the seat belt sign was switched on, he shouted: “Look at this b**** having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f *** is this b**** doing?”

Returning to his seat, he continued his rant, hurling abuse at Walsh and calling her a “f****** b****.”

The situation escalated to the point where cabin crew contemplated diverting the flight to Turkey. When informed of this potential diversion, Iftikhar retorted: “I don’t care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts.”

Despite pleas from his wife and visible distress from his children, Iftikhar’s aggression showed no signs of abating. He shoved his wife aside when she attempted to converse with staff and threatened to brawl with crew members.

He seized flight attendant Tommy Merchant and spat out: “Do you know who I am? F**** off. You should know who I am. Come on you heard me. Let’s go right now.”

Iftikhar then squeezed Walsh’s hand and hurled further racist insults at her, labelling her a “f****** white Welsh c***.”

He also threatened to blow up the Avari Lahore Hotel where the cabin crew were scheduled to stay, claiming he knew their hotel and room numbers.

He warned Walsh: “You will be dead on the floor of your hotel.

“The white sheep sh***** b***** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear.”

He continued: “You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire.”

His children wept throughout, pleading with him to stop.

Walsh later disclosed that she was unable to sleep during her overnight stay at the hotel after discovering that Iftikhar’s threats corresponded with their actual accommodation details.

Upon landing in Pakistan, no action was taken against Iftikhar. However, he was eventually apprehended at his £900,000 residence in Iver, Buckinghamshire, on March 16 this year.

Walsh attended court alongside her sister Claire, both dressed in their Virgin Atlantic uniforms. In a statement read aloud, Walsh recounted how she had taken 14 months off work due to the incident.

She stated: “I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously… But I don’t feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me.”

She continued: “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.”

Iftikhar pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment towards Walsh, but denied assaulting Mr Merchant or threatening him with death.

Defence barrister Ben Walker-Nolan stated that Iftikhar suffered from ‘amnesia blood loss’ and had long-standing issues with substance abuse, which he had not addressed.

The court was informed that Iftikhar had six prior convictions for 15 offences, including common assault and drink driving. His most recent conviction was in 2021, when he was fined £3,000 for driving under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls Royce.

Relatives broke down in tears as Judge Recorder Annabel Darlow KC addressed Iftikhar, stating: “Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children… These were threats made with significant violence… This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Walsh… You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct.”

Iftikhar, dressed in a grey suit, pink shirt, and yellow tie, appeared visibly shaken in court, bursting into tears upon hearing his sentence.

According to LinkedIn, he is the founder and director of recruitment agency Staffing Match.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.