Man jailed for trying to rape woman on flight to Edinburgh

A man who tried to rape a woman on board an EasyJet flight from Naples to Edinburgh has been jailed for six years.

Nicola Cristiano, 45, repeatedly grabbed the woman by the hand and neck during a late evening flight on 13, May 2025.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the woman was able to alert cabin crew to Cristiano's behaviour when the Italian national went to the toilet.

He was found guilty of attempting to rape the woman following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last month.

During sentencing, Judge Alison Stirling said the attack had had a "lasting effect" on the woman's sense of safety and control.

The judge told Cristiano: "She doesn't feel comfortable flying and travelling alone any more. She had planned another holiday this year but she doesn't want to go on it any more."

This story contains details which some readers may find distressing.

The court heard how Cristiano had given the woman some wine on the flight - and that after she accepted it, he exposed himself to her.

He repeatedly tried to force her head and her hand towards him.

He also attempted to kiss and touch her.

Following the assault, the woman said she repeatedly moved away and said no but this did not stop Cristiano.

He signalled to the woman to go to the toilet with him, at which point she told him she would follow him into the cubicle.

The woman took the opportunity to tell cabin crew about what happened to her and staff prevented Cristiano from leaving the facility.

Police in Scotland were contacted and the woman said she next saw Cristiano when he was "escorted" off the plane in Edinburgh.

The judge noted from a criminal justice social work report that Cristiano had not accepted the guilty verdict.

She went on: "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."

She also told him he 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".

Cristiano, who appeared in court dressed in a black and gold bomber jacket and blue jeans and who followed proceedings through an Italian interpreter, showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down.

His lawyer Jim Stephenson had earlier told the court his client had accepted the complainer "did say 'no' on a number of occasions" and that he did place her hand on his body.

He went on: "However Mr Cristiano still maintains his innocence in relation to the most serious parts of the charge."