A Bradford traffic policeman admitted drinking from a bottle of gin taken on board a plane returning to England from Florida.

Odsal-based PC Richard Perrett, 27, told Manchester Crown Court he and his father, Insp David Perrett, had taken a bottle of ready-mixed gin and tonic from a golfing bag after finishing miniatures of gin bought from cabin crew.

But he denied the bottle was duty-free bought on the plane and said he had not tried to buy a further litre bottle of the spirit from crew.

Mr Perrett, who was on the plane with his father and friend Peter Beck among a 16-strong all-male party from Halifax Golf Club, said: "The bottle was in the golfing bag and we had filled it with gin and tonic to drink on the golf course. I wasn't drunk."

PC Richard Perrett, of Calder Terrace, Halifax, Insp David Perrett, 49, of Tewit Green, Illingworth, Halifax, who is based at Halifax, and Peter Beck, 55, of the Queen's Road End Pub, Queens Road, Halifax, all deny drunkenness on the flight on February 8, last year.

The court heard halfway through the flight the empty bottle from the golfing bag was collected by a crew member.

Soon after the three men were told to hand over their passports and were warned to behave by the captain of the Boeing 767.

Mr Perrett said: "We were probably louder than most people are on an aircraft or in a pub but I do not think we were offensively loud."

At the end of the flight a policeman boarded the plane in Manchester and led the three men away.

The court had earlier heard allegations that Richard Perrett had told an air hostess she should not drive through West Yorkshire after she refused to let him drink a bottle of duty-free alcohol on board the plane.

After being questioned by police when they arrived at Manchester airport, Richard Perrett also denied telling three Manchester police officers they should "not cross the border'' into West Yorkshire.

The case continues.

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