A man who got drunk on duty-free alcohol and abused passengers and crew on a flight from Las Palmas was warned yesterday he could face a jail term.
Mr Stephen Mitchell (20), an apprentice plasterer from Mountainview, Naas, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to abusive behaviour aboard the Air 2000 flight to Dublin on August 26th, 2002.
He had initially pleaded not guilty and his trial was due to take place yesterday when he changed he plea before Judge Cormac Dunne.
Dublin District Court heard he arrived for his flight at the end of his holiday in a drunken state but the crew decided to allow him board along with 236 other passengers. A short time into the two hours and 20 minutes flight, he became abusive.
A standard formal warning letter from the captain was given to him, but he refused to read it and continued to be abusive.
The court heard it was his first time on a foreign holiday and once he bought the duty-free he started drinking it. He apologised to the staff and other passengers.
Judge Dunne said despite being treated kindly by the crew who allowed him on to the flight, he became abusive. He had a history of public order offences, but one on an aircraft full of people was much more serious.
Judge Dunne remanded him on continuing bail until March 5th for a pre-sentence probation report.