A man who phoned in a hoax bomb threat to Gatwick Airport in a desperate bid to delay his flight has been jailed for 10 months. Jacob Meir Abdellak, 47, a librarian from Amhurst Park, Hackney, made the call just eight minutes before his Norwegian flight to Los Angeles was due to depart on 11 May.
The hoax caused a 90-minute delay, but Abdellak still missed his flight and became abusive with airline staff when they refused to let him board. Police traced the anonymous call to the phone he had used to book the ticket, leading to his arrest on 22 May when he returned to the airport for another US-bound flight.
Abdellak initially denied the charge, claiming he had lost his SIM card days earlier. However, on the first day of his trial at Lewes Crown Court, he changed his plea to guilty of communicating false information regarding a noxious substance likely to create serious risk to human health. He was sentenced on Tuesday and also ordered to pay a £140 victim surcharge.
Chief Inspector Marc Clothier of Gatwick police condemned Abdellak's actions as 'ridiculous', stating: 'He was running late for his flight and thought it would be a good idea to call in a hoax bomb. This turned out to be the worst decision he could have made. His actions caused a level of fear and distress among a number of staff and passengers on board that flight.'
Clothier added that the sentence serves as a warning that such behaviour will not be tolerated and offenders will be dealt with robustly.
