Drunk Airline Passenger Abused Flight Attendants, Officers, Removed From Plane

An EasyJet passenger, who got drunk on a flight from Gibraltar to Manchester, England, and abused the cabin crew as well as his co-passengers, did not receive any jail time.

Philip Carolan, 43, who had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, appeared before the Manchester Magistrates Court on Thursday for his unruly behavior during the Feb. 6 flight. He was accused of drinking duty-free liquor that he claimed he had bought at the Rock of Gibraltar. Authorities said Carolan was found with four liters of vodka in his possession.

The prosecutor, Nick Smart, told the court that during the three-hour-long flight the accused yelled at and abused the flight crew as well as the people flying with him. "Towards the end of the flight, the defendant became abusive towards the cabin crew and fellow passengers and displayed that he was clearly intoxicated. Cabin crew notified the pilot and he organized for police to board the plane upon landing in Manchester and remove the defendant from the plane,” he said, Mirror Online reported.

While being removed from the plane, Carolan also swore at the officers. While he faced jail, following the incident, he was able to walk free after claiming that he had consumed alcohol because he believed it would help alleviate pain from an undisclosed medical condition that he suffered from.

“He was escorted from the plane and taken to a local police station. The defendant informed police during the course of his arrest he had a medical condition and his medication for that condition had mixed with the alcohol in his system making his behavior worse. He was immediately charged,” Smart added.

Defense lawyer Ian Cochrane said: "The defendant's condition and the medication he takes exacerbated his drunken condition. He had originally pleaded not guilty in the hope of being able to obtain a letter from his GP [general physician] to back his assertion about his condition having an impact in this incident but he has been unable to do so. He has never been arrested before and has never even had a caution. The fact he is here is a sad story. He was in a lot of pain due to his condition whilst on the flight and he used alcohol to help this."

In addition, the prosecutor also pointed out that the defendant offered a heartfelt apology to the crew members as well as his co-passengers after his disruptive behavior.

"Had he been causing a nuisance and being abusive for the duration of the flight then staff and passengers would have given statements. However, in this case, EasyJet has spoken to people on board and they all say the defendant apologized on board and that they all accept that apology. The only witnesses called to court today were police officers to discuss his behavior whilst being removed and arrested. He is a man of previous good character,” Smart said.

Carolan was ordered to pay 280 pounds ($355.9) in court costs.