Wealthy recruiter with two wives who threatened to gang rape and set alight Virgin stewardess has jail term tripled after public outcry
Salman Iftikhar, 38, will now serve four years and three months in prison, having originally been given a 15‑month term. The wealthy recruitment consultant was drunk when he launched a vile tirade of abuse towards Virgin Atlantic staff on a flight from London Heathrow to Lahore in Pakistan. Passengers aboard the flight watched in horror as the thug repeatedly called steward Angie Walsh a 'f***ing b****' at 11,891 meters (about 39,000 feet). In August, the Daily Mail revealed Iftikhar has two wives. One of them is Pakistani model and actress Abeer Rizvi, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok. He is also married to Erum Salman, 38, with whom he has three children. Erum has been listed as a director at a number of her husband's companies. The father‑of‑three — whose business went bust with £17 million worth of debts — later threatened to blow up the five‑star hotel the cabin crew were set to stay in. Iftikhar's initial sentence sparked claims of 'two‑tier justice' after Southport riots tweeter Lucy Connolly was jailed for 31 months. But his prison term was significantly increased today after it was referred to the Court of Appeal for assessment under the Unduly Lenient Scheme.
Insults and threats unfold at 11 891 meters as Iftikhar targets a Virgin Atlantic cabin crew member
Isleworth Crown Court heard Iftikhar left Ms Walsh 'broken' and 'traumatised' after declaring she would be dragged out of her hotel room and assaulted. The businessman had been binging on champagne, and also tried to fight another steward. In one clip of Iftikhar's 100 rants during the trip, he can be heard repeatedly accusing Ms Walsh of being a racist and said: 'You called me a p*ki in front of everybody.' All this unfolded in front of Iftikhar's wife and children who were crying and pleading for him to stop and had to be comforted by the cabin crew as he continued to hurl abuse for the entire flight. Iftikhar keeps a range of expensive cars - including a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls‑Royce - on the driveway of his £2m mansion in Iver, Buckinghamshire. Iftikhar was later arrested at his detached home in Iver, Buckinghamshire, and admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment.
Two wives, debts and the Unduly Lenient Scheme how justice can change course
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said today: 'Salman Iftikhar made horrific threats of rape and violence against an air steward who was simply doing her job. His tirade of hate and abuse caused distress and anguish for the whole flight, and all of our thoughts today should be with the cabin crew and passengers who suffered from Iftikhar's vile behaviour. I hope this brings comfort and a sense of justice to those impacted, and underlines that our criminal justice system works for victims and vulnerable people.' Isleworth Crown Court heard Iftikhar left Ms Walsh 'broken' and 'traumatised' having declared she would be dragged out of her hotel room and assaulted. The businessman had been binging on champagne, and also tried to fight another steward. The Unduly Lenient Scheme allows anyone to ask for a Crown Court sentence to be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office (AGO). If officers consider the sentence unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence. It is then up to judges to decide whether or not the original sentence was appropriate.
