A British court has heard how a woman was left "hysterical" after allegedly being sexually assaulted by a fellow passenger on board an Easyjet flight.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Edinburgh High Court she was attacked by Nicola Cristiano in May 2025.
The jury heard how Cristiano sat beside the woman, who is in her 30s and from Aberdeenshire, a short time before assaulting her after the flight took off from Naples to Edinburgh.
Cristiano denies a charge of attempted rape and has lodged a special defence of consent.
The court heard how Cristiano, 45, offered her some wine on the plane.
But after accepting his offer, Cristiano is alleged to have exposed himself, tried to get her to touch his genitals and to perform a sex act on him.
The woman said she told Cristiano she had a husband, but he did not stop before he signalled for her to join him in the toilet cubicle.
However, the court heard how she instead flagged down a member of the cabin crew as Cristiano entered the toilet.
The incident allegedly took place on an easyJet flight
| GETTYShe told the court how Cristiano sat beside her and they communicated with each other by pointing to things because he only spoke Italian.
She told the jury: "I think I ordered some wine from the stewardess and I made a funny face because it wasn’t a very good wine."
Jurors heard the woman say she sat beside him and Cristiano put his hand onto her leg, leaving her a "bit stunned".
After this, she told the court: "He was just very persistent. He tried to kiss me on my mouth."
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The trial continues at Edinburgh High Court
| FLICKRThe court heard Cristiano then unbuttoned his trousers, touched the woman’s breast and grabbed her head.
She added: "I think at one point I told him my husband was sitting at the front to make him think I had somebody to make him stop but it didn’t make a difference.
"I had a plan that when the cabin crew came past I would ask to move seats but nobody came past during the incident.
"He wanted me to go [to the toilet] first. I told him he could go first.”
The court heard police in Scotland were contacted.
Cristiano was "escorted" off the plane in the Scottish capital.
He denies sexually assaulting the woman and attempting to rape her.
The trial continues.
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