Man jailed for sexual assault on EasyJet flight to Edinburgh
A man who sexually assaulted a woman on board an EasyJet flight from Naples to Edinburgh has been jailed for six years.
Nicola Cristiano, 45, repeatedly grabbed the woman by the hand and neck in an attempt to force her to touch his exposed crotch during the flight. His semen was later found on her cheek and lip.
The Italian national was found guilty of attempting to rape the woman following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last month.
Sentencing him at the same court on Friday, Judge Alison Stirling said the attack had had a “lasting effect” on the victim.
She told Cristiano that the fact the assault happened in a public setting, surrounded by other passengers, had made it especially traumatic.
“Even though she felt completely alone at the time, the setting has been particularly damaging for her,” the judge said.
Judge Stirling added that custody was “the only appropriate sentence” given the seriousness of the offence.