This was originally a
great thread with some good debate and discussion until a few rotten comments were made.
Keep up the debate but stop short of profiling the man in question based on irrelevant factors; the real story is already bad enough. (And PPRuNe doesn't need another racial/religious vilification lawsuit on its hands.
As Dog One initially posted:
From the NT News today
A MAN on a flight to Darwin threatened to "smash" the captain and blow the plane up after cabin crew refused to serve him more booze.
Sydney man Simon Wilson Menzies, 31, was drunk and angry when he told the female cabin crew manager on a flight this week that he could"bring the plane down if he wanted."
Menzies said: "I'm half muslim, half Aboriginal and everyone else is a white a*******. I could f******blow up the plane."
He then began to sing a song about the plane crashing and everyone dying.
Last week in Darwin Magistrates Court the child counsellor became the first person in Australia to be charged and convicted under new Commonwealth laws relating to threatening and assaulting plane crew members. The amended laws came into effect on March 30.
Magistrate Elizabeth Morris gave him a one month suspended sentence for the offence.
The court heard Menzies was on Jetstar flight JQ81 from Brisbane to Darwin on Tuesday com when he became abusive after being refused a fourth beer.
The court heard he was refused service because he continued to be rowdy despite repeated warnings.
After he was refused service Menzies, who is 190cm and solidly built, stood over the cabin crew manager and told her to get the captain.
"Send the captain I will f****** smash him I'm the biggest guy on the plane," he said.
Later, in the galley, Menzies confronted the captain, who feared that the drunk man was going to assault him.
When a female passenger approached the pair and told Menzies that he was causing her friend to have a panic attack he said: "I don't give a f*** about your friend."
Menzies eventually returned to his seat and when the plane landed in Darwin he was arrested by police and held in custody overnight.
The court heard he had been taking strong anti-depressant for three months and it was the first time he had mixed them with alcohol.
Menzies was travelling to Bali for a family holiday via Darwin when he was arrested.
Ms Morris fined him $400 and released him on the suspended sentence in time for his flight to Bali the following morning. (my highlighting)
Under the new laws the maximum summary penalty for threatening or assaulting a flight crew member is two years prison or a $13,500 fine.
I am surprised that the carrier allowed the passenger to board the Bali sector, the next day.
FRQ CB
PS Mods, I'm not trying to skirt around the fact that you closed the last thread, I think that most of you'd agree that there is merit in keeping this story up for a while longer but without the stupid redneck comments.