According to a report by Northern Ireland World, Sean MacCullough, from Ballycastle, committed the offence on October 11, 2021.

“A prosecutor told Antrim Magistrates' Court that during the flight the defendant had asked the crew member for her phone number when he had been ordering alcohol. The court heard she was taking payment and told the defendant the contactless card payment would not work because the bill exceeded the limit.

“She indicated the defendant may have to put his card into the card machine and, the prosecutor said, MacCullough told her to come closer and he then made a suggestive comment to her”, reported the newspaper.

The prosecutor said as the crew member walked away "the defendant stood up and slapped the injured party on her bottom".

“The victim was then moved to a different part of the plane and didn't have any further contact with the defendant," the prosecutor added.

The defendant told the court that he was "arrested, held for three hours and fined by the Portuguese police and had been told that that was the end of the matter".

He added that he had been "bought drink by a group of males in the airport and on the plane which had an adverse reaction to his medication and he stated he had no recollection of the incident, however, apologised for his actions which caused, offence, hurt and embarrassment".

The court heard that the man was given a 10-year "travel ban" from easyJet.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan said that it was an "extremely serious" incident as "this was a young woman who was simply carrying out her job and the way in which you approached her and behaved was totally unacceptable and would have been extremely distressing for her".

The district judge said she had considered putting him in jail but put him on probation for 18 months instead.

MacCullough has also been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register.