Leena Romu, 63, originally from Finland, has been fined £105 and imposed to pay £320 after drunkenly assaulting a member of Virgin’s cabin crew on board the flight to Dubai, on December 20th 2015. Romu, who has denied the assault charge, boasts members of The Royal Family and Joan Collins as just some of her many well-known clients, has worked alongside the famous fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. The court heard that Romu reeked of alcohol and was rocky and unstable on her feet when boarding the plane, as she clenched onto bottles of alcohol that she had previously purchased in Heathrow’s Duty-Free. Once the crew requested that Romu depart the plane, she became threatening and abusive, and hit Ms O’Keefe on the back, between her shoulder blades. She was also heard aggressively swearing at a passenger.
Ms O’Keefe has since said that after the attack, she required six physiotherapy sessions as she struggled to move her neck. Romu has been ordered to pay £20 as a victim surcharge.