A millionaire recruitment boss who launched a horrific tirade of abuse at a Virgin Atlantic air hostess, threatening to have her gang-raped and set on fire in front of his own young children, has had his “unduly lenient” jail sentence significantly increased by the Court of Appeal.
Salman Iftikhar, 38, was on a first-class flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan, in February 2023 when the shocking incident unfolded at 39,000 feet.
100 Rants and Vile Threats
Isleworth Crown Court heard that Iftikhar, who was travelling with his wife and three children, directed a series of over 100 profanity-laced rants at cabin crew member Angie Walsh.
During the harrowing ordeal, Iftikhar told Ms. Walsh that she would be dragged from her hotel room, gang-raped, and then set on fire.
A shocked passenger, who filmed a portion of the tirade, could be heard saying “holy s***” as Iftikhar repeatedly and falsely accused Ms. Walsh of being a racist, yelling, “You called me a p*** in front of everybody.”
Public Outrage and “Two-Tier” Justice
Iftikhar, who is reportedly married to a second wife, supermodel Abeer Rizvi, in Pakistan, initially cried as he was jailed for just 15 months last August.
The light sentence sparked immediate public outrage and accusations of a “two-tier” justice system. Many contrasted it with the 31-month sentence given to Lucy Connolly for her tweets during the Southport riots. The case’s high profile led Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to refer Iftikhar’s sentence to the Attorney General for being “unduly lenient.”
Sentence Increased to 3 Years
The case was referred to the Court of Appeal, which agreed with the assessment and increased Iftikhar’s sentence to three years.
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said: “Salman Iftikhar made horrific threats of rape and violence against an air steward who was simply doing her job. His tirade of hate and abuse caused distress and anguish for the whole flight, and all of our thoughts today should be with the cabin crew and passengers who suffered from Iftikhar’s vile behaviour.”
The court heard that Iftikhar has an “appalling record of misconduct,” including six previous convictions from 15 offences, such as common assault in 2004 and multiple drink-driving incidents. In 2021, he was fined £3,000 after he was caught driving his Rolls Royce while under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis.
“Appalling Incident, Devastating Consequences”
The judge, Ms. Recorder Annabel Darlow KC, noted that Iftikhar had failed to address his long-standing “drug and alcohol problem.”
She also highlighted the devastating impact on the victim, Ms. Walsh, who gave up the job she loved for 14 months due to the trauma. Thankfully, she has now been able to return to work.
“Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children,” the judge told Iftikhar. “Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.”