A mum had to be escorted off a Ryanair flight by police after passengers complained she was being too loud and 'verbally aggressive'. Lyndsey Fitzsimmons became 'irate' after being approached about her behaviour on the flight from Lanzarote to Manchester Airport, Minshull Street Crown Court heard on Tuesday (July 26).
Police were called out by Ryanair staff less than 20 minutes before the flight was due to land, before six officers stormed the plane to arrest Fitzsimmons. The 39-year-old, who had been on a week away in the Canary Islands, claimed she had consumed two pints of lager and taken two 10mg tablets of diazepam for her anxiety before the flight - but did not drink any alcohol on the plane.
The court heard that police received a report of a 'drunken and disruptive' passenger on board the flight at 9.53pm on February 1, before it was due to land in Manchester at 10.10pm. Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne said that passengers in front of Fitzsimmons had complained about her 'loud volume'.
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Fitzsimmons became 'verbally aggressive' and a couple sat close to her believed she was behaving 'in an intimidating manner', the court heard. Crew members intervened and Fitzsimmons was asked to sit at the back of the plane before it landed, ready for police to arrest her.
The court heard six police officers boarded the flight as it landed, and officers could smell alcohol on Fitzsimmons' breath, while her speech was slurred. Mr Berlyne added: "She was told she was under arrest and as she was getting in the police van she stumbled and fell on her knees."
Bodycam footage from Greater Manchester Police showed Fitzsimmons in the back of a police van, insisting: "I didn't do nothing wrong." As she was told she was under arrest, she added: "For what... what have I done?"
No evidence for the case was given by Ryanair or from other passengers, but the court heard the airline had graded Fitzsimmons' behaviour in the lowest category for risk. Defending, Paul Wood suggested it had been a 'hard case to advise' in, with no other evidence given on how much alcohol Fitzsimmons had consumed other than her word that it had been 'two pints'.
He said: "This is not a deliberate consumption of alcohol or anything of that nature - drinking duty free on board or anything like that." Mr Wood said his client took diazepam as she 'genuinely does not like flying', while she also suffers from anxiety and mental health issues in general.
"The safety of the aircraft was never endangered," Mr Wood added. Fitzsimmons was said to be remorseful for the incident, while the court heard she is also the sole carer for her 15-year-old son, who has autism and mobility issues.
Fitzsimmons, from Cheshire, initially pleaded not guilty to being drunk on an aircraft at her first appearing at Manchester Magistrates Court on March 2 but later changed her plea to guilty on May 26. At a sentencing today (Tuesday), Judge Recorder Paul Reid QC issued her a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He said: "This is an unusual case in that there are no statements from either the flight crew or fellow passengers as to what was going on. All that I've been provided with is the statement from officer PC Green who gathered information from people and who reports back.
"The picture that emerges is one of you using verbal aggression. You were verbally abusive, particularly to a couple sitting near you, possibly using threats or at least giving the impression that you were acting in an intimidating manner.
"You are someone that suffers from depression and anxiety generally. Part of the reason you took this week away from home was to try and help in that way."
Judge Reid added that the risk to other passengers from Fitzsimmons' behaviour was 'at the bottom end of such drunkenness' and there was 'no question' of her needing to be physically restrained. He added: "It was the rather ill-advised combination of drink and medication that led to the condition."
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