He then said he was from the Navy and was just testing airport security measures. . He also can’t remember how he got to the airport.

After a boozy night out, 22-year-old Lee Jezard, from Redditch, sneaked on to a plane at Birmingham Airport by telling staff: "I'm the co-pilot".

The BBC reports that Jezard climbed through the baggage carousel hatch and on to the empty Lufthansa Embraer 195 plane.

When cleaning staff found him, he said: "I'm the co-pilot". When challenged for his ID he said he was from the Navy and was testing the security of public places.

Birmingham Magistrates court heard yesterday that Jezard said "I'm breaking into places to see if people can catch me - I go to prisons and other places."

Police had already spoken to him as he drunkenly wandered around the airport, before they later escorted him off the plane and into custody.

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Jezard's lawyer, Tariq Khan, told the court his client "really had very little idea how he arrived at the airport" after a night out in Birmingham.

Jezard had no idea how he got to the airport – his lawyer could only guess it was by train – and he wasn't booked on any flights. Earlier reports had said he had missed a flight to Ibiza.

Jezard also admitted to stealing £36.45 of food from a Caffe Nero at the airport, plus the court heard that the incident lost him his job at at hotel.

He was fined £95 for each of three seperate offences, on top of £185 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

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