A DRUNKEN Scottish air passenger who spilled booze on a child and caused a flight to be grounded has been locked up.
James Rae wreaked havoc on a TUI plane headed from Glasgow to Antalya on May 24 when he called a staff member a “gay boy” and shouted abuse at others on board.
His behaviour became so bad that the decision was made to divert the flight to Newcastle, which meant passengers faced more than a five hour delay to eventually reach their destination in Turkey.
Newcastle Crown Court heard holidaymakers waiting to get the same plane home from Antalya were also delayed by 17 hours and the cost to the flight operator was “several hundred thousands pounds”.
Rae, who had downed gin and Jagermeister, was arrested as soon as it landed and he had to be carried away because he was so drunk.
The 29-year-old plant operator, of West Bridge Street, Falkirk, pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft.
Judge Stephen Earl has today jailed Rae for eight months and told him: “The one thing that stands out in this case is deterrence, not only deterring you but to ensure other people understand if you get on an aircraft and you are drunk, this is the sort of sentence you can expect.”
Judge Earl said passengers and staff on board the “metal cylinder in the sky” were put at a risk which is almost incalculable.
The judge added that some may find it “odd” that alcohol is sold in the airport and on flights and added: “It relies on people to be grown up about it, not sit with 15 pints for four people but that’s what some people do.
“Of course, lots of people don’t do that, lots of people treat it as a responsible, grown up situation.
“Just because it is available doesn’t mean it’s compulsory to drink as much as you can before the flight.”
Prosecutor Antonia Adie told the court a crew worker had noticed Rae and his partner acting “loud and jolly” as they boarded the flight but thought there was nothing wrong at first.
However, Miss Adie said: “After the aircraft was boarded and subsequently taken off, some passengers who were in close proximity to the couple had began to complain abut their language.
“At this point the partner moved away from him and was visibly upset by his actions.
“The cabin crew were setting up the bar for service when a passenger came in who had noticed the defendant was drinking his own duty-free spirits.”
The cabin manager was informed and Rae was asked to hand over the drink which would be returned to him after landing.
He was then asked to move to a different seat but refused to hand over his passport and began speaking more aggressively towards staff.
He was also verbally warned that his behaviour was becoming increasingly unacceptable.
Miss Adie told the court Rae then called one air steward a “gay boy” and said the only reason he was being picked on by staff was because he was straight.
She said: “For a little while after that the defendant didn’t understand why he was not allowed to drink his own alcohol.
“The cabin manager on the flight noticed the situation was not getting any better and the captain made the decision to divert the Newcastle due to the fact the defendant was drinking and was not able to follow lawful instructions.”
Rae then returned to his normal seat but his behaviour declined even further.
He started hitting his head off the seat in front of him which forced another passenger to intervene.
“The defendant also had a small plastic bottle which had some alcohol which he ended up spilling over a little girl sitting in front of him,” Miss Adie said.
“This then led to an argument with the children’s parents and the defendant.
“The flight landed in Newcastle at around five to seven in the evening.”
Officers were called to arrest Rae and had to be carried away due to his intoxication.
The flight was delayed in total by five hours and 23 minutes, the court heard.
The aircraft being grounded at Newcastle meant replacement cabin crew had to be called into work and the scheduled return flight was put back over 17 hours to allow the new staff to be given the minimum required rest period.
Fiona Lamb, defending, told the court Rae has never been in trouble before and added: “He is absolutely adamant he has not drank since this incident.”
Miss Lamb said on the day of the flight Rae was “quite nervous about flying” and had eaten just chicken nachos before take-off.
Miss Lamb said Rae’s memory of what happened on the flight is “extremely limited” and he is not homophobic.
The court heard Rae has said in his own words: “It was horrible and shameful and I’m absolutely embarrassed, I have no idea where it came from.
“I’ve ruined my life over something I can’t even remember, it’s horrible.”
