A drunken plumber who verbally abused British Airways crew and passengers on a Las Vegas-bound flight has been ordered to pay more than £3,000.
Emmet Moynihan, 31, became disruptive on August 6 after demanding to use the toilet while the aircraft was still on the ground at Heathrow because of delays.
Video from inside the cabin showed the Irish passenger, who was travelling to the United States for a stag do, being told several times by a female flight attendant to return to his seat.
Prosecutor Abigail Day told Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court that Moynihan replied: “This is a f**king joke,” and said he was “clearly drunk”.
She said another passenger had noticed the smell of alcohol on him, while others in the cabin began recording the incident on their phones.
Ms Day told the court Moynihan was heard shouting, “Stop f***ing filming me,” and said the co-pilot had to speak to him “at one point”.
Even after repeated warnings, he continued directing abuse at crew members and fellow travellers among the 331 people on board BA275.
The plane ultimately abandoned its departure and returned to the terminal, where armed officers removed Moynihan from the aircraft.
Emmet Moynihan, 31, insisted on using the toilet as the plane remained grounded at Heathrow due to delays on August 6
The aircraft was eventually forced to abandon its take-off and head back to the terminal, after which armed officers escorted Moynihan away
The 31-year-old of Mount Vernon, Cork, appeared in court today wearing dark jeans and a grey hoodie.
He admitted to being drunk on an aircraft and disobeying the orders of the captain.
Paul Turnbull, mitigating, said the defendant was ‘of good character up to today’ and did a full comment interview where he admitted to his crimes.
‘At the end of the interview he did say he was ashamed,’ he said. Mr Turnbull added that Moynihan was part of a stag-do heading for Las Vegas.
Moynihan had begun drinking with the group while they were still in Cork City, and ‘free alcohol flowed’ during the flight’s initial delay, the defence said.
‘On the flight, the defendant was aware of a further short delay and wished to use the toilet, which is why he was up and about,’ he said.
Mr Turnbull said filming by other passengers ‘aggravated’ the situation, with the clip having since amassed 6 million views on social media.
He said Moynihan has faced ‘significant’ shame since the video went viral as he lives in a ‘close-knit community’.
Sentencing, magistrate Mrs Joseph JP described the offence as ‘very, very serious’.
She added the only reason it would not go before the Crown Court is that the plane was still grounded ‘and therefore passengers could have been evacuated’.
‘However, had they been in the air, it would have been a completely different matter,’ she said.
Moynihan was handed a £3,199 fine, which included a fine of £2,224, £890 surcharge and £85 costs
‘One hopes that this will not ever happen again, your visits to AA clearly indicate [you have] accepted you have an alcohol problem,’ she added.
‘It is not something we ever want to see again.’
A spokesperson for British Airways earlier said: ‘Disruptive or abusive behaviour is never tolerated on board and the safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.
‘When these incidents occur, the appropriate action will always be taken.’
