The unidentified pilot was caught in a brazen ruse when he left a private development where the crew was staying to buy groceries at a Checkers Bluebird store, according to The Sun.

As the pilot was leaving the store, a woman asked him to help her put her shopping bags in her vehicle.

Moments later, masked men shoved the first officer into the back of the car and drove him to a remote location. While being held, he was tortured for hours until he handed over “thousands and thousands of pounds.”

“It’s staggering what happened to the pilot,” a source told The Sun. “It was like something out of the movies. He fell for the scam of agreeing to help a woman in need, and before he knew it was bundled in a vehicle and driven away.”

The violence only ended after he agreed to hand over the money.

“He is just happy to be alive,” the source said.

The pilot was unable to fly the plane back to London and a replacement pilot had to be drafted in, according to The Sun.

British Airways told The Sun that they are “supporting our colleague and the local authorities with their investigation.”

This is the second incident featuring a British Airways employee in Johannesburg in six months, according to The Telegraph. Another pilot was stabbed in the leg while on a run in between flights and was held at gunpoint.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with roughly 75 taking place per day, according to the British outlet.

The British government warns its citizens to be careful while traveling in South Africa, as there is a “high threat of terrorist attack.”

“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in South Africa,” the government said. “There is a high crime rate, including carjacking, ‘smash and grab’ attacks on vehicles house robbery, rape, sexual assault and murder.”

Read the full originally published story at nypost.com

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Married Mike Beaton, of Devon, boasted of his drug and drink orgy to a stewardess friend, admitting: “I’ve been a very naughty boy.”

The appalled pal reported him to bosses who cancelled last month’s flight from Johannesburg to London, then drug-tested and sacked him.

First Officer Mike Beaton was about to fly from South Africa to London when a worried stewardess raised the alarm.

Shocked bosses then cancelled the 12-hour flight, costing the airline an estimated £100,000.

The dad of one was suspended then flown home the next day as a passenger, before being drug-tested at Heathrow.

When that proved positive, he was sacked.

BA’s latest booze-fuelled drama came to light after Beaton flew to Johannesburg, where he had downtime before he was scheduled to co-pilot a return flight to London.

However, his night off descended into debauchery, which he then described in intimate detail in texts to his stewardess colleague, who was a close pal.

Beaton told her that he met two local lads, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a “young Spanish bird” at a nightclub in the city.

The pilot boasted: “We all walk (stagger) back up to the hotel bar for ‘one last one before bed’.

“Welsh and one of these guys is getting on very well, but she’s told him that I’m her boyfriend.

“Couple of drinks in the bar, bit of snogging, and then we’re somehow all on our way to this dude’s flat.

“Welsh has decided that I should actually be her boyfriend — Spanish has hooked up with one of the two local lads and is having her t**s sucked on their sofa.”

He bragged about how the “girls are dancing topless”, and he decided to strip off too — before some Class A drugs arrived.

The ex-pilot went on: “I’ve lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke.

“So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off.”

He added triumphantly: “That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t**s in Joburg.”

Beaton then admitted the evening had taken its toll, confessing: “Stayed the night with Welsh, sh** her for ages (I guess the coke played a part) and then was so f** I couldn’t even lift my head until gone 2.”

An airline source said yesterday BA has been left in shock at the behaviour of their former employee, who runs a hot tub retreat in Devon with wife Jagoda.

They told The Sun: “Of all the bad behaviour that goes on downroute between flights, this incident is hard to believe.

“A First Officer is trained rigorously and knows the law inside out. Their remit is protecting the safety of passengers.

“This behaviour was the opposite of what is expected of British Airways pilots. The airline is in shock. This pilot has hoisted himself by his own petard.

“The idea of sending details of his drink and drugs session to a stewardess between flights is extraordinarily dumb.

“Furious managers followed ­protocol and the pilot was drug-tested on his return to the UK.

“The alcohol would no longer have been found in his system, but the Class A drug was. He will never fly again.”

The scandal is the latest wild tale of BA crew on boozy nights out.

Earlier this month we revealed how a stewardess was nicked outside a strip club in Miami after downing drinks with crew from rivals Virgin Atlantic.

In April we told how a BA pilot was reported to cops in Singapore after allegedly sexually assaulting a stewardess on a boozy night out.

Last March it emerged staff were banned from all-inclusive deals in the Maldives after a drunk stewardess passed out on a beach.

Last night, BA sources insisted there was no risk to passengers following their pilot’s Johannesburg binge four weeks ago.

An airline spokesman told The Sun: “Safety is always our top priority.

“The matter was referred to the CAA and this individual no longer works for us.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has withdrawn his medical certificate — banning him from the flight deck.

A CAA spokesman told us: “An airline must immediately inform us if a UK pilot has misused drink or drugs boarding, or being on board, an aircraft.

“In these cases we would immediately suspend the pilot’s medical which means they cannot fly.

“In most cases the pilot would have an assessment with an expert medical team and if they wished to return to flying then a comprehensive rehabilitation programme would be put in place.

“The medical would only be reinstated if we were completely satisfied.”

Last night Beaton’s wife declined to comment at their £750,000 home, saying: “You must speak to my husband about it.”

The pair run Sleepy Owl, a £400-a-night luxury treehouse retreat with hot tub.

Read Full originally published story on thesun.co.uk

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