A former Afghan MP swigged neat vodka from a bottle before verbally abusing staff in business class on an Emirates flight when they told him to put his seatbelt on for landing.

After being told more than three times by a cabin crew member, he finally put it on, but 47-year-old Said Naderi continued to insult him.

When Naderi was confronted by police after getting off the plane, he told officers they were only arresting him because he was Muslim.

Naderi, who lives in a £1.2m home in Bushey, admitted drinking champagne and wine on the connecting flight from Kabul before continuing to down 'whatever came to hand' in the VIP lounge at Dubai.

He drank more champagne on the way to London and had a bottle of neat vodka on him, being so drunk by the time of his arrest that police were forced to wait seven hours before they could interview the married father-of-four on May 29.

He had resigned from the Afghan Parliament just weeks before and told arresting officers "you didn't like me because I'm a Muslim".

At Isleworth Crown Court, Naderi, who owns a construction business in Afghanistan, admitted entering or being in an aircraft while drunk and being abusive against cabin crew Naji Alhourani on board a flight.

Prosecutor Edward Lewis told Isleworth Crown Court: "He poked his tongue out at Mr Alhourani and pointed repeatedly at his belt to show he had undone it.

"Mr Alhourani asked again, now three times to put his seat belt back on and eventually after many requests he did so.

"The flight attendant now was able to tell his supervisor that everything was in order to land and as soon as he had hung up the phone to his supervisor Mr Naderi started swearing at him saying you 'mother f**ker'.

"He was pointing at him looking at him and he was repeating it over and over again."

"He was arrested for being drunk on board and disobeying cabin crew orders and he he was then cautioned and he continued to behave in an erratic manner and would swear randomly and tried to grab one of the officer's arms and said they were arresting him and saying they didn't like him because he was a Muslim.

"It apparently took some seven hours to interview him.

"He had just over £7,000 on him, £7,050 which the police have seized."

Abbas Lakha QC, mitigating, said his client was "very sorry" and accepted his actions were "wholly unacceptable and appalling behaviour".

He said: "He is consumed by remorse, guilt and shame in equal measure. He recognises that he has not only let himself down but his family his friends but above all those who depend on him and look up to him.

"The behaviour that this court has heard about today was wholly out of character."

Giving him a 12-weeks jail suspended for a year with 100 hours of unpaid work, Judge Fiona Barrie said: "It was disgraceful behaviour by you towards cabin crew.

"The aggravating factor is that it occurred at a crucial point in the flight when the aircraft was descending. It had the potential to put at risk not only your safety but the safety of the passengers and crew."

Judge Barrie added: "I accept that you are genuinely ashamed of your behaviour."

No separate penalty was awarded for the abusive behaviour against Mr Alhourani.