Pregnant mum offered Champagne after 'passenger assaulted her on flight'
A pregnant woman who was claims she was assaulted by a passenger on a plane says she was offered a bottle of champagne from as an apology. Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant and flying back to London from Amsterdam when she says she was "shoved" by a man - while waiting to get off the plane.
Parul believes the fellow British Airways passenger wrongly thought she had pushed in before he told her: "Don't think I won't punch you in your f****** face."
Parul approached a member of staff as soon as she could but and was given a bottle of champagne as an apology, she says.
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Business analyst Parul, who had been away with her partner, Dhiren Raghvani, said: "I actually felt like this man was going to hurt me.
"I felt I was made to be the bad guy and I now feel fearful to confront anyone about anything."
Parul and Dhiren Raghvani, 32, an IT consultant, had flown to Amsterdam to see a friend and were heading back on August 19 when the incident happened.
"It was supposed to be a joyous trip, but it ended in a nightmare," Parul said. As Parul stood in the aisle waiting to leave the plane at around 4pm, she says a male passenger pushed her out of the way and accused her of trying to cut in front of him.
Parul said: "I was already standing in the aisle, and suddenly, he pushed me and said" 'Don't think I won't punch you in the f***ing face.' I was in shock."
The situation quickly escalated as the man continued to verbally assault her - making threats and using abusive language. A member of cabin crew tried to console her, but the experience left Parul shaken and fearful.
"I asked them to call security," she said. "I was already in a state of shock, crying so much I could barely speak. I didn't really understand why she was giving us the bottle.
"It would make sense if we were talking about bad customer service, but we were dealing with common assault here."
Despite reporting the incident to staff, Parul says she felt her concerns were not taken as seriously as she would have liked. When she followed up with the airline, she says she was offered a £50 voucher.
Parul said: “This wasn't about a delayed flight or lost luggage - this was a serious assault."
To make matters worse, Parul encountered the same man again in the arrivals hall. "I was in tears, and then he started again - this time with my partner, he squared up to me, swore at me, and cursed my unborn child," she said.
"I was terrified - I actually felt like this man was going to hurt me and my baby."
Despite the repeated threats and aggressive behaviour, the police said they were unable to take any action, according to Parul
She said: "They said they didn't see him doing anything - except me swearing back at him. I struggled to sleep for a week after it happened.
"As a new mum and pregnant with my second child, I now feel scared to confront anyone. It's made me question my safety, especially as we hear so much about violence against women."
"It was so demoralising. I felt like I was made out to be the bad guy, when in reality, I was the one being threatened and assaulted. "
British Airways said: "We do not tolerate any kind of abuse against our colleagues or customers. A member of our cabin crew team offered assistance to our customer when this incident was brought to their attention, and it has been reported to the police."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were contacted about an altercation at Heathrow Airport on 19 August.
"A woman reported that she had been approached by a man inside the airport following a dispute that had begun on an inbound flight.
"Officers attended but the man had left the location. Officers spoke to the relevant airline who had no record of the dispute.
"They also spoke to two independent witnesses who provided information that did not support the woman’s version of events. fter assessing all of the information available, a decision was taken not to investigate further. The woman was informed of this.
"If any further information comes to light, this will be assessed and investigated accordingly."