Leading Irish jump jockey Timmy Murphy has been jailed for six months for indecently assaulting a flight attendant and being drunk on board an aircraft.
The 27-year-old, who lives in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, England and who won last year's Irish Grand National, pleaded guilty to the two offences when he appeared at Isleworth Crown Court in west London.
Murphy, who has a partner and young child, was jailed for six months for assaulting the air stewardess on the Virgin flight from Tokyo to Heathrow on April 14th this year and three months for being drunk on board the aircraft.
The sentences are to run concurrently. Judge John Crocker also ordered the jockey to remain on the sex offenders' register for the next five years.
Mr Simon Connolly, prosecuting, said that Murphy had been drinking heavily in the Virgin club lounge before boarding Flight BS901 and then had continued to drink vodka and orange in the first class cabin.
Mr Connolly said that another passenger had described his manner as "loud but not a nasty drunk".
During the flight, however, the national hunt jockey called one of the female attendants a "f****** whinger" and she became concerned by the aggressive turn of his behaviour.
Mr Connolly said around 20 minutes after his insult the jockey then sat on another passenger's lap with his legs blocking the aisle. When the stewardess asked him to move, Mr Connolly said: "He grabbed her leg and quickly moved his hand up her skirt and touched her genital area."
The woman, who informed her supervisor and the captain, was left "extremely shocked and in tears over what had happened", Mr Connolly said. Murphy was then seen to urinate against the flight deck door before falling asleep for the duration of the flight.
He was arrested on his arrival at Heathrow and told officers that he could not remember what had happened as he had been drunk and apologised repeatedly for his behaviour.
PA