Two men, who were thrown off a flight bound for Manchester Airport having allegedly begun a drunken brawl, could face 20 years behind bars in America.
A TUI flight from Cancun to Manchester was diverted to Bangor International Airport in the US due to a disturbance on January 1. The group of men were refused alcohol service from flight attendants but one of them reportedly took a bottle from his carry-on luggage and the group drank from it.
Anthony Joseph James Kirby and Damien Jake Murphy, both 36, are charged with one count each of interference with flight crew members and attendants and assault in a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, reports the Daily Star. A third man was removed from the plane along with Kirby and Murphy, but he has not been charged.
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The FBI's report on the incident states: "During the flight the men became loud and disruptive. While the aircraft was over Florida, Kirby, Murphy and the third man made racist comments to the crew and passengers while filming their interactions with the crew and the other passengers with their cameras. The behaviour caused the flight crew to change seats.”
Murphy is alleged to have pushed a flight attendant who tried to de-escalate the situation. After the plane landed at Bangor, Kirby is said to have attacked the passenger sitting three seats in front of him. Kirby and Murphy made their first court appearances on January 3.
The U.S. attorney’s office for Maine, which is prosecuting the case, asked that both men are foreign nationals, they should be held without bail until their cases are resolved. The two accused have reportedly agreed not to apply for bail.
If convicted, the men face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 (£200,000) on the charge of interference with flight crew and up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 (£82k) on the assault charge.
A spokesperson for TUI told the Manchester Evening News: "We can confirm that TOM193 diverted into Bangor, Maine due to disruptive passengers on board the flight from Cancun to Manchester on 1st January 2023.
"The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our highest priority, and we have a zero tolerance policy to disruptive behaviour on our flights. The customers involved were offloaded and the flight then continued its journey home shortly after.
"We take all security matters of this nature extremely seriously and will continue to assist the FBI with their investigation."
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