Millionaire told airport staff he ‘deserved more courtesy’ because ‘he’s rich’

A millionaire property developer has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 after launching a foul-mouthed tirade at airport check-in staff.

Neil Grinnall, 56, unleashed his anger on Catia Figueira and Michelle Gillingham when they told him his hand luggage was too heavy for the Ryanair flight from Bournemouth Airport to Malaga.

A court heard he called them ‘f***ing fat b****es’ and began to shout ‘this is f***ing ridiculous’ before he declared he would never fly from the airport again.

Poole Magistrate’s Court heard his outburst on May 23, 2018, left the two women ‘petrified’.

After being arrested by police, he told them he was ‘a rich man’ and had paid more money for his seat so he had ‘expected more courtesy’.

The court heard he later offered to pay Miss Figueria and Mrs Gillingham compensation to avoid the case going to court.

But he has now been fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to each of his victims after admitting to using threatening or abusive words towards them.

Magistrates also instructed Grinnall, from Sandbanks, Dorset, to pay £310 in court costs and a further £170 victim surcharge.

Despite missing his original flight Grinnall managed to fly to Spain and posted a picture of himself in Marbella on social media four days later.

The businessman has also posted from Cannes, Monaco and Miami this year alone.

Magistrates were told Grinnall had flown back from another holiday in Spain specifically for the court hearing.

Thomas Evans, mitigating, argued that Grinnall felt ‘genuine remorse’ for the incident and had offered to give the women a ‘face-to-face apology’.

It is not the first time Grinnall’s temper had landed him in trouble.

In 2017 it was reported he received a police caution after he was filmed launching a stool across a bar after spending the night drinking in a luxury Sandbanks restaurant.

He was arrested for the incident, but the matter didn’t go to court.