Men Fined $3,000 After Disruption On Airplane
Two British nationals appeared in Magistrates Court this afternoon [Apr 13] where they were fined $3,000 each following the incident yesterday which saw an airline divert to Bermuda, with the court hearing that both men appeared to be drunk, were shouting on the plane, with one man throwing peanuts at the airline staff.
A police statement after yesterday’s incident said, “Around 12:55pm on Sunday, April 12th police officers responded to a report of two disruptive passengers on a diverted Thomson Airways flight landing at L.F. Wade International Airport.
“The two male passengers involved were subsequently escorted off the plane and taken into police custody. The Thomson aircraft was apparently en route from London, U.K. to Cancun, Mexico.”
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British nationals Jamie Richardson, 38, and Daniel Taylor, 37, both pleaded guilty to offences committed in international airspace on board a Thomson Airways flight bound for Mexico, but forced, by their behaviour, to make an unscheduled stopover in Bermuda.
The Court heard that the pair appeared be intoxicated, and both began demanding drinks, moving around the cabin, and shouting at the other passengers. Cabin staff refused to serve them additional drinks, and asked them to return to their seats.
The Court heard that Richardson, from West Sussex, had used threatening behaviour towards cabin staff and crew by throwing peanuts at them and by throwing a £1 coin at a stewardess and striking her on her arm.
Taylor, also from West Sussex, was also charged with using threatening behaviour, with the Court hearing he was hitting himself on the head with his clenched fist.
Crown Counsel told the Magistrate that, having thrown the £1 coin, and then his wallet at the staff, Richardson had told the stewardess to: “Keep it.” Counsel said that Taylor had told cabin staff to: “Move on for your own good”. The Court also heard that both men had warned cabin staff not to mess with them.
Cabin crew informed the pilot and the pilot elected to land in Bermuda and have the pair put off the aircraft.
Asked by the Magistrate if they had anything to say, Richardson said that he regretted the incident, while Taylor said it was the “most embarrassing day of my life.”
Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined each man $3,000 and set four months in prison as the default if the fine was not paid.
Through Duty Counsel, the pair said that they had only $700 and asked if they could be freed to make arrangements as they had money available in the UK.
The Magistrate then told them that the fines must be paid before they were freed, that this was a modern world and a modern place, and that they would have to make their own arrangements to pay the fine. He then told them that the alternative was four months in prison.
The Magistrate said that they were lucky to be getting off so lightly as this kind of offence was taken very seriously.
Update 4.51pm: A spokesperson for Thomson Airways told the UK’s Daily Mail, “Thomson Airways would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced by passengers on board flight TOM022 from London Gatwick Airport to Cancun, which diverted to Bermuda yesterday due to a customer incident on board.
“We operate a zero tolerance policy in relation to any disruptive behaviour. The passengers in question were removed from the aircraft and met by police. The flight departed within two hours to ensure the other customers could get away on their holiday as soon as possible. Customer safety is our priority at all times and we would like to reassure passengers that incidents of this nature are extremely rare.”
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Wow!! What an expensive trip to Mexico, this on top of your return ticket home. I bet your next flight wi be better planned!!
Ps don’t have any Dark n’ Stormies while your mates – they are lethal
UM four months here? WHY? Send them to their own country and let their own tax dollars support these two excuses for humans.
What a couple of winners….
Wankers
Total wankers!!
Their Goes their spending money,, Turning up too early
These incidences are becoming costly….Thomas Cook, Sun, and now Thompson….y we gotta take care of them? we already pay white-hall for representation!
They will be made to pay for their own travel back to their home town. They should be made to pay a fine and then skedaddle back to the UK for more justice.
Sooo, where does that $6000 go? Into the Bermuda general slush fund most likely. How about the air carrier? Do they have to take it up as a civil matter if they want to recover costs incurred as a result of the Bermuda stop?
Triangle, you better beleive this is not the last these two fools are going to have to pay for, when they return to the UK, this Airline will be after them to pay full costs of the plane landing in BDA!!!!
I take it that the dislikes think that the airline is not entitled to recover costs these two yahoos ran up for the diversion.
“The Magistrate then told them that the fines must be paid before they were freed, that this was a modern world and a modern place, ”
LOL, judge has a sense of humour
Only $3,000? They got off far too lightly. As they had only $700 on them they should have been given the 4 months sentence with no option.
they had to pay before being freed..? oh i didn’t realize that our jail cells had banking facilities inside them…i guess the judge was right about this being a modern world…pfft!
They are allowed a call, so call home get the money put into your account and pay with your credit or debit card, Modern World
Typical yobs !
Peanuts…REALLY????
These airlines need to stop serving alcohol,plain n simple.I experienced bad behaviour first hand last year on a flight out of Gatwick. And yes again alcohol was in high gear.
99% of people that travel can enjoy alcohol and drink it responsible while on board an aircraft.
Alcohol should never be served on an airplane.
Very disgraceful behavior. Wow nice to see the first I think B787 Dreamliner to land in Bermuda.
Hey Pete,
The Dream has been here a few occasions before, but it is definitely a bird I’d like to see more of.
“The Magistrate then told them [...] that this was a modern world and a modern place, and that they would have to make their own arrangements to pay the fine.”
It’s so modern, in fact, that we still have debtors’ prison.
AS ex aircrew other airlines may refuse travel also, and Thomson may look for compensation for the diversion. Watch this space
Pair of ginnets. Cap’n should’ve taken it below 5k ft, opened a door and fecked ‘em out! Fish food and good riddance.
And if they had decided to take the “4 months”… Then that would have cost the BDA Tax Payer $26,666.00 EA (assuming that the $80,000 per year cost per inmate is still relevant at Westgate)!!
That would have been a very expensive “mistake” by Khamisi Tokunbo – to the tune of $53,333.00 in round-about figures for both guys… NOT very cost effective!!
One of these days someone or more people are going to do exactly that – especially if they are out-of-work yobo’s or “party animals” – who don’t give a rat’s a**!! There are a lot of them in the UK like that!!
I lived there (UK) for 10 yrs and it was bad then – so must be a lot worse today!!