Man who tried raped woman on EasyJet flight while on work trip jailed
A man who tried to rape a woman on an easyJet flight to the UK has been jailed for the "protection of the public".Italian, Nicola Cristiano, was on board the flight from Naples to Edinburgh on May 13, 2025, when he repeatedly grabbed the woman by the hand and neck in an effort to force her towards his exposed penis.His semen was later found on the woman's cheek and lip after the late evening flight.At the trial at Edinburgh High Court last month, the court heard how the father-of-two was travelling on a work trip when he committed the assault.They heard how the 45-year-old also tried to kiss his victim and touch her breasts and body despite the victim telling him no on several occasions.Appearing for his sentencing on Friday, Judge Alison Stirling referred to a statement given by the victim who spoke of the "lasting effect on her sense of safety".The judge told Cristiano: “The complainer says the assault has left a lasting effect on her sense of safety and control. She doesn’t feel comfortable flying and travelling alone anymore.“She had planned another holiday this year, but she doesn’t want to go on it anymore.“The fact that it happened in a public setting surrounded by other people, even though she felt completely alone at the time, has been especially damaging for her. She thinks this will always have a lasting effect on her.”The attacker appeared in court dressed casually in a black and gold jacket and blue jeans was hearing the translation through an interpreter.In defence, Cristiano’s lawyer Jim Stephenson told the court that he accepted the victim did not consent and had asked him to stop adding: “ [she] did say ‘no’ on a number of occasions, and [that] he did take her hand and place it on his penis”.He added: “However, Mr Cristiano still maintains his innocence in relation to the most serious parts of the charge.”The court also heard from a report by a criminal justice social worker who claimed that Italian had not accepted the guilty verdict.Cristiano was said not show any reaction as he was handed a six-year sentence. The judge added: “Custody is the only appropriate sentence with regard to the serious nature of the offending. The reasons for the sentence include punishment, expressing society’s concerns about and disapproval of your offending, protection of the public, and rehabilitation in custody.”The judge also noted that the attempted rapist would be deported to Italy once he had completed his sentence, and he would be subject to notification requirements for an “indefinite period of time”.
