Joe Hirst, right, pictured with his girlfriend Shannon Potter, left, was cleared of sexually assaulting a male cabin crew member on a Jet2 flight to the Canary Islands last January
A British holiday maker accused of groping a male airline steward’s groin while flying to the Canary Islands has been cleared of sexual assault.
Joe Hirst, 22, of Brighouse, West Yorkshire was flying on a Jet2 aircraft with his girlfriend Shannon Potter when he was accused of holding the steward’s groin in a ‘cupping motion’.
Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard the steward remonstrated with Mr Hirst who replied: ‘Oooohhh,’ in a gay-like flirtatious voice.
Hirst claimed he had drank beer and vodka as he was nervous about the flight as he had never been on an aircraft before.
The jury heard that when the aircraft landed in Fuertaventura, Hirst was escorted off the jet by Spanish police. He was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault upon his return to the UK.
Hirst pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and was cleared by the jury after three hours and 18 minutes of deliberation.
As the not guilty verdict was returned, Hirst put his head in his hands and started crying whilst his girlfriend Shannon Potter and and two male friends shouted: ‘Get in.’ Afterwards he said: ‘I just want it to get back to normal and how it was.’
The incident occurred on January 15 last year after Hurst, a driveway builder and his girlfriend of six months Miss Potter boarded the 10am flight from Manchester for the trip which had been booked for him as a birthday present.
It was alleged trouble began two and a half hours into the flight when Hirst kept putting his leg in the aisle causing an obstruction to cabin crew as they served drinks and snacks.
The steward – who cannot be named – told the hearing: ‘During the second bar service he began to reach with his arm as if getting something from the trolley and when I asked what he was doing he looked up and with the same hand he reached around and touched my thigh with an up ward stroking motion.
Hirst, right, denied holding the steward’s groin area in a ‘cupping motion’ while the airline worker was serving drinks to passengers on the early morning flight from Manchester
Hirst, right, was arrested by police upon his return to Manchester following his holiday
‘I was facing towards the rear of the plane and he was on my left. He seemed to take it as a bit of a joke – there was a little laugh and snigger. He said the word: “Ooohhh” in a flirtatious voice and then went to touch my genital area.
‘Initially I was totally shocked and I couldn’t even think what had just happened. I said to him: “Do you think that is appropriate,” and he responded with a snigger. I tried to carry on but my colleague told me to get off the bar and I went to the front of the aircraft where I told a senior member of crew what had happened.’
Hirst told the court he was not drunk on the flight suggesting he was ‘a bit merry’
But in his defence Hirst said: ‘I wouldn’t say I was drunk, I was a bit merry – about a two or three on a scale of one to 10. I just didn’t have enough room in my seat, I am 6ft and I cannot sit still half the time in general.
‘I didn’t realise I was being an obstruction – I didn’t mean anything by it. On the drinks round, the male crew member tripped over my leg and said I shouldn’t have done that, he seemed quite annoyed but that was the end of the incident.
‘I had only reached my arm out to get a drink because I was messing around. I didn’t intend to touch him and I didn’t touch him. My hand was a good foot away from him. When the Spanish police spoke to me after the flight I thought they wanted to speak to me about my foot. I had never been on a flight before.’
Miss Potter 22, a care assistant said: ‘Joe had stuck his leg out three or four times because there was no leg room.
‘At one point, the male cabin crew member got to Joe’s leg and stumbled back a few steps. He said to Joe: “You shouldn’t have done that,” and Joe said: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Joe had been pointing towards a drink on the trolley, I didn’t see him make any contact.
‘When we left the plane we were wondering why the police had wanted to speak to us but I thought the allegation was about him sticking his leg out and the cabin crew member tripping over it.’
The alleged incident happened onboard a Jet2 flight from Manchester to Fuertaventura in January, file photograph