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01st Nov 2018

Irish man due to appear in Australian court after allegedly assaulting a flight attendant

Rory Cashin

St. Patrick's Day

The 25-year-old was arrested when the flight landed in Sydney.

An Irish man is due to head to court in Australia today (Thursday 1 November), following his arrest due to an alleged disturbance on a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney.

As per the statement by the Australian Federal Police, it is reported that the man approached the cockpit of the plane during the flight and refused to return to his seat when asked to do so by cabin crew, before “behaving in a disruptive manner and assaulting one of the flight attendants”.

The 25-year-old man, who local authorities have revealed lives in Australia on a temporary working visa, was then restrained for the remainder of the journey, before being arrested when the flight landed at Sydney International Airport.

The incident, which took place on Wednesday 10 October, will see the man facing charges of assaulting cabin crew staff, committing an act of violence on board an aircraft, and another charge of behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner.

AFP Airport Police Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Simone O’Mahony, said the following about the incident:

“The safe travel of passengers through our airports is a key priority for the AFP. This alleged behaviour has no place in our aviation system and, while there was no significant delay or personal harm caused on this occasion, it should still serve as a warning to others; if you risk the safety of your fellow passengers, you risk facing significant penalties.”