A mother has told of her terrifying ordeal when she and her family were caught up in the "worst ever case of air rage".

Jane Roberts had been visiting her husband Andrew's family in South Africa with their two children Alex, 11, and Alicia, nine.

They were on board a British Airways jumbo jet for the return flight when Witham plumber Ian Bottomley ran amok.

Bottomley, of Larch Grove, was jailed for three years last Friday after being found guilty of endangering the plane and its passengers, affray, being drunk aboard the aircraft, and assaulting a member of the cabin crew last January.

The young family were sitting just five rows in front of Bottomley. His actions on the plane were described by the prosecution as the "worst ever case of air rage".

Mrs Roberts, of Riverview, Lawford, said trouble started barely an hour into the flight as stewards handed out meals.

She recalled: "The first thing I noticed was when a steward moved a middle-aged couple out of the way and Andrew said it was because one of the passengers was annoying them.

"Then we just heard this shouting and swearing and it was getting louder and louder.

"Then we could see it was getting more into a fight and staff were trying to restrain him.

"It was just going from bad to worse - it was every bit as bad as said in court. He was very violent and abusive."

Isleworth Crown Court heard last week how Bottomley went berserk causing £30,000 damage to the aircraft after being asked to stop looking at porn on his laptop computer.

Mrs Roberts said a steward ran past and then came back with a bandage on his arm and then another ran past holding handcuffs. A stewardess then passed them carrying blue tape to tie up Bottomley.

"They asked if there was anyone from the forces or the police on the plane to help, and then the call went out for a doctor.

"But even when the man was handcuffed and tied he was still kicking and pushing, his head was flailing all over the place. He was covered in blood where he kept hitting his head on the seat in front."

The Roberts were moved to first class seats but a stewardess told them the man continued to be abusive and violent despite being restrained and sedated.

"I was frightened because of the children and I was worried what would happen if the people could not restrain him and he started to run amok."

The family's trip to South Africa was the first time Mrs Roberts and her children and been abroad and a planned trip to the cockpit for the youngsters had to be cancelled.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.