Drunken Royal Designer To The Stars Whacked Stewardess When Ordered Off Dubai Flight

Pain In Neck: Leena Romu

 A drunken royal designer to the stars whacked an air stewardess when ordered off a flight to Dubai for her foul-mouthed behaviour.

Leena Romu, 63, who has worked for iconic British fashion designers Vivienne Westwood and Anthony Price, struck Lisa O'Keefe in the back.

Romu, of Bromyard House, Bromyard Avenue, Acton, who now designs bridal and evening gowns, was being led off the Virgin plane.

On boarding she was unsteady on her feet and bumped into the bulkhead and nearly fell into another passenger's lap before getting into a row with a father travelling with his young son.

He told her to stop swearing and when ordered off the plane Romu shouted at him: "Shut up. It's your f***ing fault."

Romu, who has worked on designs for the Royal Family and the Harry Potter film franchise, denied, but was convicted of assault and fined £105, with £300 costs and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge.

Ealing Magistrates Court heard the stewardess noticed Romu boarding the Heathrow flight on December 20, last year with bottles of duty free alcohol.

"She stumbled into the bulkhead of the aircraft, was unsteady on her feet and the passengers behind her told me they thought she had been drinking," said Ms O'Keefe.

"She was asking one passenger where her seat was and nearly fell into the lady's lap. The father of a young boy was asking her to refrain from using foul language."

"Hurt": Lisa O'Keefe

Ms O'Keefe said a colleague detected alcohol on Romu's breath and she was told to leave the plane.

"She was shouting in my ear that she was going to sue Virgin and me and I got a shove, slap between my shoulder blades.

"It felt like the heel of the hand between my shoulder blades and she said: 'I didn't hit you, I pushed you.'

"Two hours into the flight I said to my colleagues: 'I think she's really hurt me' and after going to sleep I couldn't move my neck and saw a physio for six sessions."

Prosecutor Mr. Bhavin Patel told the court the row escalated with Romu asking Ms O'Keefe: "What do you mean?" and "What are you trying to say?"

Staff told first-time offender Romu they had concerns she was well enough to fly.

"She was becoming more unreasonable and it was having an effect on other passengers and Ms O'Keefe went to speak with the captain."

Another passenger described Romu as "angry" and said she deliberately barged into the stewardess.

Police were called and Romu said three pins in her hip made her unsteady and she accidentally stumbled into Ms O'Keefe when she stopped abruptly in front of her.

Romu has also worked on designs for Batman film The Dark Knight, plus Duran Duran and Joan Collins.