Salman Iftikhar wept in the dock after he was sentenced for hurling death threats and racist abuse at Virgin Atlantic cabin crew during a flight to Lahore, Pakistan
A thug who threatened to gang rape a Virgin Atlantic stewardess and set her alight is a “super flash” recruitment tycoon whose business went bust with £17million worth of debts, it has emerged.
Salman Iftikhar, who also has two wives, told flight attendant Angie Walsh she would be dragged out of her hotel room, gang raped and set alight. Fellow passengers in first class watched as Iftikhar – flying with one of his spouses and three children – repeatedly called Ms Walsh a “f***ing bitch” during the flight from London Heathrow to Lahore, Pakistan.
Iftikhar, 37, later threatened to blow-up the five-star hotel at which the cabin crew were set to stay. However, a court heard this week no action was taken against the recruitment boss after the plane arrived in Pakistan – and he was only arrested at his £900,000 detached home in Iver, Buckinghamshire, after his holiday.
But the yob was finally caged for 15 months at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment. The judge took into account Iftikhar’s six previous convictions, including a common assault, a record she described as “lengthy and appalling”.
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And it has since emerged the father of three kept a range of expensive cars – from a Range Rover, Bentley and Royles Royce – on his driveway at the time of his arrest. He lived in the six-bedroom home with wife Erum Salman, 38, and together the pair run a London-based staffing company which provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing.
But according to those known to the Buckinghamshire couple, the pair had a “rocky marriage and would argue quite a bit” – with police being called in one instance. Images on social media imply a different story, though, as the dad is seen posing in front of a royal blue Royles Royce kitted out with a white leather interior in one snap. Other images show a Range Rover, Bentley and a Mercedes parked outside the home of the six-bedroom property.
Yet, the recruitment boss, despite being very wealthy, had a failed business venture that has left him millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11m to HMRC and £6.885m to HSBC.
The company, called Core Labour Supply Limited (CLSL), had a rapid rise and quickly started having a turnover of almost £90m in 2022. It meant Iftikhar was able to continue enjoying his taste for the high life – paying himself dividends of almost £1m a year between 2018 and 2021. The business, though, was badly affected by Covid and two of his biggest customers, which accounted for 35 per cent, left.
A neighbour of Iftikhar – who asked not to be named – revealed to the Daily Mail: “He’s definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn’t really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time.”
Iftikhar wept in court when he was sentenced on Tuesday. Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: “Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children.
“These were threats made with significant violence. Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats.
“Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work. This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh.
“You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.”