Drunken plane passenger avoids jail after admitting public order offence

October 18, 2017

Amanda Johnson from Exchange Chambers has represented a drunken plane passenger who avoided jail despite being dragged from a flight and tackled to the floor inside the terminal building.

Paul Brady, 39, became ‘rude, threatening and aggressive’ after being told there was no room for his suitcase in the overhead locker as he boarded his easyjet flight to Copenhagen.

Mr Brady, an engineer who has a high-level job in the electricity industry, had been drinking for several hours in Manchester Airport before the delayed flight to the Danish capital, which was due to leave at 6.45pm, Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

He became angry when told his bag would have to be put in the hold, despite being told before he boarded and ripping off the labels he had been given.

Crew members eventually asked him to get off the plane, but he refused three times. Police, who were already on patrol inside the terminal building as part of a crackdown on unruly passengers, were then called.

Despite the judge telling him ‘you must have known the game was up and you were getting off that plane’, the court was told he continued to be aggressive and was ‘staggering around on his feet.’

He was eventually led off the plane, along with his partner, and taken back into the terminal where he had to be wrestled to the floor with the help of an immigration officer and arrested.

Mr Brady admitted a charge of being drunk on board an aircraft and a pubic order offence at that hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.

At Minshull Street Crown Court he was handed a nine-month jail term, suspended for two years.

Read further coverage in the Manchester Evening News.

Amanda is a member of the criminal department at Exchange Chambers.