Drunk passenger disrupted flight
HOLIDAYMAKERS faced foul-mouthed disruption to the start of their break when a drunk passenger became abusive on their plane.
Graham Walshaw had been asked to quieten down as the Ryanair flight prepared to take off at Newcastle Airport but he refused to do so.
Police were called and Walshaw continued to be abusive, swearing at officers and kicking out.
Now the 43-year-old, of Johnson Terrace, Sulgrave, Washington, has been given a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court for drunkenness entering an aircraft.
It was on August 26 last year around 8.20pm that police were called to the flight, which was due to depart Newcastle Airport to take holidaymakers to Spain. Paul Cross, prosecuting, said: “The defendant had been asked not to shout by the crew and to be more peaceful.
“He was asked to move to the back of the plane. He shouted and told the crew to f*** off. He was asked to leave the plane. He smelled strongly of alcohol.
“The consequences were it disrupted other passengers and could potentially affect the safety of the aircraft, had it taken off.
“He was with another man, who told him to leave it. He continued to refuse to leave and police were called. He protested about leaving.
“He was obviously intoxicated, shouting ‘f****** lock me up then’.” Walshaw was handcuffed by police and called one officer a “baldy ****” and kicked out, striking an officer’s shin.
Mr Cross said: “Happily the flight had not taken off and he was removed. There must have been some delay while it was checked if he had baggage in the hold and so on.”
Walshaw pleaded guilty to drunkenly entering an aircraft and was sentenced to 10 weeks suspended for 12 months with rehabilitation and a one-month alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.
Ian Hudson, defending, said the offence was much less serious than it would have been had the flight taken off. He added that he was a low risk of reoffending and a low risk to the public.
Mr Hudson said Walshaw has not worked for years after breaking his back and has a “depressive illness”.