BA passenger shoved mother-to-be and threatened to punch her

A terrified pregnant woman has claimed she was shoved and assaulted on a British Airways flight by a fellow passenger who told her: 'Don't think I won't punch you in your f****** face.' 

Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant at the time. She was flying back to London from Amsterdam with her partner when the incident occurred as passengers were disembarking the plane. 

She believes the passenger wrongly thought she had pushed in front of him. 

Ms Patel approached a member of staff who apologised for the man's behaviour and offered a complimentary bottle of champagne. 

The business analyst from Watford said: 'I actually felt like this man was going to hurt me.

'I felt I was made to be the bad guy and I now feel fearful to confront anyone about anything.'

Ms Patel had been on holiday in Amsterdam with her partner Dhiren Raghvani to visit a friend in August this year. 

She said: 'It was supposed to be a joyous trip, but it ended in a nightmare.'

The incident occurred on August 19 at around 4pm Ms Patel says a male passenger pushed her out of the way and accused her of trying to cut in front of him.

She said: 'I was already standing in the aisle, and suddenly, he pushed me and said' "Don't think I won't punch you in the f***ing face." I was in shock.'

The situation quickly escalated as the man continued to verbally assault her - making threats and using abusive language.

A member of cabin crew tried to console her, but the experience left Parul shaken and fearful.

She said: 'I asked them to call security. I was already in a state of shock, crying so much I could barely speak.

'I didn't really understand why she was giving us the bottle?

'It would make sense if we were talking about bad customer service, but we were dealing with common assault here.'

Despite reporting the incident to staff, Ms Patel feels her concerns were not taken as seriously as she would have liked.

When she followed up with the airline, Ms Patel was offered a £50 voucher.

She said: 'This wasn't about a delayed flight or lost luggage - this was a serious assault.'

To make matters worse, the couple encountered the same man again in the arrivals hall where Ms Patel said the man squared up to her and 'cursed her unborn child.' 

Despite the repeated threats and aggressive behaviour, Ms Patel claims the police said they were unable to take any action. 

She said: 'They said they didn't see him doing anything - except me swearing back at him. I struggled to sleep for a week after it happened.

'As a new mum and pregnant with my second child, I now feel scared to confront anyone.

'It's made me question my safety, especially as we hear so much about violence against women. It was so demoralising. I felt like I was made out to be the bad guy, when in reality, I was the one being threatened and assaulted. '

British Airways said: 'We do not tolerate any kind of abuse against our colleagues or customers.

'A member of our cabin crew team offered assistance to our customer when this incident was brought to their attention, and it has been reported to the police.'

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were contacted about an altercation at Heathrow Airport on 19 August.

'A woman reported that she had been approached by a man inside the airport following a dispute that had begun on an inbound flight.

'Officers attended but the man had left the location.

'Officers spoke to the relevant airline who had no record of the dispute.

'They also spoke to two independent witnesses who provided information that did not support the woman's version of events.

'After assessing all of the information available, a decision was taken not to investigate further. The woman was informed of this.

'If any further information comes to light, this will be assessed and investigated accordingly.'