Male sex assault victim groped by woman on TUI flight slams sentence

TUI passenger reveals how he was groped in front of his son, 10, by a drunken mother, 38, who tried to perform a sex act on him – and claims she was only spared jail because she’s a woman

• Father Gary Kirby was sexually assaulted by drunk Louise Whyte on a TUI flight
• The mother of one was given suspended sentence after admitting sexual assault
• Whyte, 38, pulled down her trousers and tried to perform sex act on Mr Kirby 
• He said today that the only reason she was not jailed is because she is a woman  

A father who was sexually assaulted by a drunk woman on a holiday flight in front of his ten-year-old son says she only avoided jail because she is female.

Gary Kirby, 31, was groped by fellow passenger Louise Whyte, 38, who pulled down her trousers and attempted to perform a sex act on him.

Mr Kirby, from Merseyside, today blasted her sentence after the mother was let off with a suspended jail term for the incident on-board a TUI flight from Manchester to Turkey.

Waiving his right to anonymity he told the Metro.co.uk: ‘The only reason is that she’s a woman. 

‘If I stand here, as a 6ft well-built man, and did all of that, I would be in jail. One million percent.’

Mr Kirby was flying with his son Connor, 10, when he was sexually assaulted by Whyte, from Bury. She was put on the next flight back to the UK after the plane landed.

Whyte from Bury, pleaded guilty to entering an aircraft when drunk and sexual assault on a male. She was sentenced to a six-month in jail – suspended for 12 months

During her sentencing hearing earlier this week, the court heard Whyte, 38, who was taking the seven-year-old on their first holiday abroad, became severely intoxicated after mixing the vodka with diazepam and codeine tablets which she had been taking for a knee injury.

He added: ‘Are you telling me if I was on a plane and I started removing my outer clothing, and tried to have sex with someone, I would be spared jail? ‘No way pal.’ 

Mr Kirby said he first met Whyte in the terminal at Manchester Airport, when he offered to call her phone that she had lost in the duty-free shop. 

He thought she might be under the influence then,  despite having her daughter with her.

Louise Whyte leaving Minshull Street crown court, Manchester, where she received a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a man during a TUI flight to Turkey

He said she could tell she was ‘not in control of her faculties within 45 minutes of flight’. 

He added to the Metro: ‘She put her hand on my leg and I had to take it off on no less than five occasions. 

‘There’s no way anyone should be doing that when you tell them to stop time and time again.’ 

Mr Kirby said Whyte took her jacket off and said she would perfom a sex act on him, suggesting the jacket would give her cover and ‘no one would notice’. 

He pushed her back into the seat and alerted staff by pressing a call bell. 

He said the incident ruined his holiday, and it had a ‘disgusting’ effect on his son, who kept asking about it on his brithday, which was just two days later.

Mr Kirby added: It’s a sexual assault. It was front of my child and it was in front of her own child, which I would say warrants a prison sentence. 

‘Even more so, the fact she’s drunk on board a plane, which is a criminal offence in itself. 

‘She was endangering the safety of the other passengers and the cabin crew.’ 

Appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court earlier this week, Whyte admitted sexual assault. 

She was ordered to sign the sex offender register for seven years. She was also sentenced to six months’ jail suspended for a year and to abide by an 8pm to 6am curfew.

The incident occurred on May 27 last year after Whyte booked the holiday with her daughter after splitting with her partner.

Mr Kirby, from Merseyside, today blasted her sentence after she was let off with a suspended jail term for the incident onboard a TUI flight from Manchester to Turkey (stock image)

She began drinking in the airport terminal ahead of the 8pm flight and befriended the victim when she saw him with his son, the court was told.

Charlotte Crangle, prosecuting, said Whyte made her advances and the victim ‘had to tell her to stop several times’.

When spoken to by crew, Whyte ‘didn’t appear to know where she was staying or how to get there and the decision was taken to retain her and her daughter on board for journey back’, the barrister added.

The second flight arrived back in Manchester before 6am the next day and was met by police.

When interviewed by police, Whyte, a single mother after splitting from her daughter’s father 18 months earlier, said she had ‘one or two drinks in the terminal’ prior to boarding, then drank vodka from the man’s bottle – but could remember nothing else.

Defending, Peter Horgan said she was ‘embarrassed, ashamed and apologetic’.

He said: ‘She has never been in trouble before and has led a wholly law-abiding life.

‘She didn’t knowingly get herself into the state and describes her actions as disgusting and repellent.’

Sentencing, Judge Sophie McKone told Whyte: ‘Once you were on that plane you effectively became out of control.

‘So concerned were the crew and captain that as the plane landed they wouldn’t let you off the plane, quite rightly they didn’t think you would be able to care for your child.

‘You failed remarkably in your responsibility to your daughter.’     

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