Man who tried to rape woman on Edinburgh flight has sentence cut

A man who tried to rape a woman on board an EasyJet flight from Naples to Edinburgh has had his sentence cut from six to five years on appeal.

Nicola Cristiano, 46, was jailed in February after he repeatedly grabbed the woman by the hand and neck during a late evening flight on 13 May 2025.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the woman, from Aberdeenshire, was able to alert cabin crew when the Italian national went to the toilet.

Lawyers acting for Cristiano appealed against the sentence arguing that it was excessive. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh have now ruled the jail term should be quashed and they imposed the lesser penalty of five years.

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During the hearing on Tuesday, Lord Clark, who heard the appeal with Lady Wise, said: “We are persuaded a custodial term of six years was excessive, although only to a limited extent.”

Defence solicitor advocate Simon Collins said it was accepted that Cristiano was found guilty of a very serious offence and a custodial sentence was the only appropriate disposal.

But he pointed out that he was a first offender who has no other matters before the courts in Scotland or in his homeland, and has a background of working to support his family.

Collins told the appeal judges: “This is an unusual and perhaps exceptional case.”

He said sentencing guidelines for rape would have indicated a sentence of between five and seven years being imposed in the circumstances, but he said in this instance it was not a “completed act of rape”.