Jockey Paul Carberry will not go to prison for his behaviour on an Aer Lingus aircraft a year ago, a judge decided yesterday.
The former Grand National-winning jockey was originally convicted for setting fire to a newspaper on the aircraft travelling from Spain to Ireland.
Judge Terence O'Sullivan, in a Circuit Court appeal against convictions imposed at Swords District Court earlier this year, quashed a two-month prison sentence and a €500 fine.
He applied the Probation Act on the basis that Carberry, of Tara, Co Meath, is to undertake voluntary work to be organised in consultation with his legal team.
The court heard it was most likely that Carberry would become involved in the organising of horseriding instruction for young people from the inner city area of Dublin.
He had initially been convicted, jailed and fined at Swords for having on October 1st, 2005, on board an Aer Lingus aircraft within the jurisdiction of Ireland, "engaged in behaviour of a threatening abusive or insulting nature".