A woman has been handed a four-month prison sentence after causing chaos on an airplane by smoking in the toilet and consuming duty-free alcohol. The incident occurred on a UK-bound flight from Turkey, leading to police intervention upon landing.
Emma Woolley, 43, of Warren Avenue in Wakefield, pleaded guilty to boarding an aircraft while intoxicated, smoking on board, and engaging in threatening, abusive, or disorderly conduct towards the crew.
Judge Ray Singh, during sentencing, declared: “I can’t avoid an immediate custodial sentence. These type of offences have to be met with a deterrent to ensure others do not behave in the way that you did.”
Jet2.com’s Managing Director Phil Ward commented on the case, stating: “This sentencing should send out a stark and sobering example to the tiny minority of people who cannot enjoy their flight responsibly. This summer we will fly millions of hardworking customers and families away to enjoy their well-deserved holidays, but sadly there are a handful of people who behave in a disruptive fashion, often fuelled by alcohol that has been purchased in duty free and is then illicitly consumed onboard.”
He further warned: “Our message to them is very simple – we take a zero tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behaviour, as do the courts and by acting irresponsibly you run the risk of a criminal record and even a prison sentence,” reports Leeds Live.
He further stated: “As a family friendly airline, we will not hesitate to take action against disruptive passenger behaviour. That includes issuing bans, billing disruptive customers for costs that we incur, and working with the authorities to support successful prosecutions. Ms. Woolley must now face the consequences of her behaviour and we are confident that this sentencing will send out a very clear message to others about how severe the consequences can be.”