A Mill Hill man who was so hopelessly drunk' on a flight that he tried to open an emergency door has been jailed for four months.

Stephen Parker, 43, of Rushden Gardens, drank three bottles of wine, six or seven bottles of beer and four measures of Bacardi and Coke', prosecutor Charlotte Yarrow told Isleworth Crown Court on Friday.

The massive drinking binge, which his lawyer, Maureen Donkor, attributed to a broken relationship, resulted in him lighting a cigarette in his seat.

Parker, who has a string of previous convictions, including ones for threatening behaviour and being drunk and disorderly, admitted a charge of being drunk on a Thai Airways flight to Heathrow on March 10.

Ms Yarrow said: "He had two glasses of wine and some sleeping pills and slept for the first five hours of the flight.

"When he awoke he began to drink in earnest, becoming loud and disturbing other passengers. He helped himself to alcohol from the galley as well as that served to him. He speech was loud and slurred.

"He and a female passenger went to a lavatory and began smoking. They were taken back to their seats.

"He continued to drink a lot and then lit a cigarette in his seat. This was taken from him by the crew. He then rose from his seat, stumbling into other people and towards the emergency door, causing real panic among the passengers by falling and holding on to the large handle with both hands.

She said: "Passengers were screaming, believing he was trying to open the door. Several passengers were in fear for their safety.

"The defendant fell on the floor and had to be picked up by other passengers and taken back to his seat."

Parker was arrested when the plane landed at Heathrow but was too drunk to be questioned until the next day, she added.

Ms Donkor said that when Parker sobered up he was very remorseful and very apologetic'.

She added: "He was very ashamed of his behaviour. He was so drunk he could not remember what had happened until he was told."

She added that he had flown to Thailand 14 times without incident and this behaviour was completely out of character'.

Jailing Parker, Recorder Ian Peddie QC told him: "It must have been a very frightening experience, not only for the passengers, but for the crew who had the misfortune to deal with you when you were hopelessly drunk."

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