Airport worker badly injured in ‘ring of fire’ initiation ceremony
COLLEAGUE ORDERED TO PAY COMPENSATION OVER PRANK INVOLVING PAINT THINNER AND COMPRESSED AIR HOSE
AN AIRPORT worker was seriously injured after a bizarre ‘initiation’ ritual called ‘ring of fire,’ a court heard.
His colleague Liam Daley, 27, a friend from school who recommended him for the job at Air Livery at Manchester Airport, appeared before a judge after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.
Manchester Crown Court heard the ‘ring of fire’ ritual at the firm, which paints aircraft, involved soaking a rag with paint thinner and putting it on the victim’s bottom, over their trousers.
It would cause a burning sensation for a few seconds, the court heard.
They would then have a compressed air hose aimed at their bottom from a safe distance to blow away the paint thinner. But the court heard that Daley used the hose at ‘point blank range,’ causing the victim immediate stomach pain.
He spent six days in hospital and has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne said the hoses are used by staff to blow dust off aircraft before they are painted.
Father-of-one Daley, of Litherland Road, Sale, said he had worked at Air Livery for four years and it had been happening since before he arrived.
After the paint thinner had been applied, the victim pulled his trousers down but Daley, who said it was the first time he had taken part in the initiation, applied the hose from ‘point blank range,’ the court heard.
The victim turned white in the face, felt pain in his stomach immediately and could hear others laughing, prose- cutors said. He was taken to A&E by a colleague.
The man said he continued to suffer from bloating, stomach pain, diarrhoea and muscle spasms, and that the incident has left him feeling suicidal.
In a statement to the court, he described the last 12 months as ‘the worst of his life physically and mentally.’
Daley was suspended from work and then subject to disciplinary action. He was given a final warning but continues to work for the company.
Sentencing, Judge Anthony Cross QC said it would be ‘madness’ to jail Daley, fining him £100 and ordering he pay £1,250 in compensation to the victim.
The M.E.N. has approached Air Livery for comment.