rtl_flyer
24th Aug 2004, 13:14
My jaw fell open when I read this......
Man burnt porn magazine on plane
A plane passenger admitted endangering the safety of an aircraft after he set fire to a pornographic magazine because he found one of the pictures offensive.
David Mason ripped the magazine into pieces then set fire to it on a flight from Norway to Gatwick in February.
Lewes Crown Court was told Mason, 45, had found a photo of a black man with a white woman "offensive".
Mason of Surbiton, Surrey, is to be sentenced on 21 September but has been ordered not to fly as a bail condition.
'Desire to destroy'
Judge Richard Hayward said Mason must not fly on any commercial flights into or out of the UK or on domestic flights.
He said: "I am concerned about his lack of understanding about the danger he posed.
"My view is that a prison sentence is not appropriate but a degree of supervision is required.
"These offences are regarded as very serious and many judges would send him to prison - I want the public safety ensured."
Cabin crew on the Braathens Airline Boeing 737 flight doused the paper with water after they smelt burning.
The court was told Mason, who is said to suffer from schizophrenia, had tried to take the magazine into a toilet to burn it but the cubicle was occupied.
He had also asked a flight attendant if he could burn the magazine in an oven near the galley.
He told officers he was "overcome with desire to destroy" the picture.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3594514.stm
Man burnt porn magazine on plane
A plane passenger admitted endangering the safety of an aircraft after he set fire to a pornographic magazine because he found one of the pictures offensive.
David Mason ripped the magazine into pieces then set fire to it on a flight from Norway to Gatwick in February.
Lewes Crown Court was told Mason, 45, had found a photo of a black man with a white woman "offensive".
Mason of Surbiton, Surrey, is to be sentenced on 21 September but has been ordered not to fly as a bail condition.
'Desire to destroy'
Judge Richard Hayward said Mason must not fly on any commercial flights into or out of the UK or on domestic flights.
He said: "I am concerned about his lack of understanding about the danger he posed.
"My view is that a prison sentence is not appropriate but a degree of supervision is required.
"These offences are regarded as very serious and many judges would send him to prison - I want the public safety ensured."
Cabin crew on the Braathens Airline Boeing 737 flight doused the paper with water after they smelt burning.
The court was told Mason, who is said to suffer from schizophrenia, had tried to take the magazine into a toilet to burn it but the cubicle was occupied.
He had also asked a flight attendant if he could burn the magazine in an oven near the galley.
He told officers he was "overcome with desire to destroy" the picture.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3594514.stm