Air rage charge man stays in jail

A man facing air-rage charges is to spend the first days of the new year in prison after a District Court judge yesterday refused him bail.

At a special sitting of Ennis District Court, Judge Joseph Mangan refused bail to Mr Ray McColgan (38) with a Derry city address, after Garda objections. He remanded him in custody to the next sitting of Ennis District Court on January 7th.

Mr McColgan was arrested by gardaí on Tuesday at Shannon Airport after he was taken off an Aer Lingus flight from Boston.

He appeared later at Limerick District Court before Judge Tom O'Donnell where he was remanded in custody to appear before Ennis District Court yesterday.

He is charged with being intoxicated on board the flight, with disorderly conduct and with refusing to desist from his behaviour.

In court yesterday, his solicitor, Ms Caitríona Carmody, said Mr McColgan would be pleading guilty to all charges when the case was heard. He was willing to make a €1,000 bail bond deposit, remain in the area, sign on daily at a local Garda station and surrender his passport. However, Insp Kevin Moynihan objected to bail as he was told by the PSNI that there was an outstanding drink-driving charge from April 2003 and that Mr McColgan left for Boston before the court date.

Mr McColgan admitted that he was arrested arising from the alleged offence and gave a blood specimen to the PSNI.

The case is the third air-rage related case to be heard in Co Clare's courts in 2004.

Last April, two New Yorkers spent three nights on remand in Limerick prison and avoided jail terms only after agreeing to pay more than €50,000. Judge Mangan imposed suspended sentences of six months on Guy Saint Arnaud (42) and three months on Warren Clamen (39) for their role in the incident.

In all, the two men agreed to pay over €51,218, including the €10,575 cost of diverting the London-bound American Airlines flight to Shannon.

Judge Mangan said "this was one of the most serious cases of this nature that has come before the court".

In the other case, Judge Mangan imposed two suspended three-month jail terms on Michael McCallion (48), Ballymena, in connection with an incident which forced a plane to divert to Shannon last April .