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heads_down
21st May 2009, 21:37
so it's criminal record for a 23 year old, barred from all aviation work (all other work for that matter due to reciprocal criminal rap sheet for UK and AUS) for the rest of his life, big deportation stamp passport after jail term.
no future for him now over a practical joke. Stupid defense : tired and stressed: you call in sick for that. Oh at Qantas mention tired and get served clause 11 immediately by team managers. "Tired" and "fatigue" is a dirty word in aviation industry.

Bomb hoax flight attendant Matthew Carney jailed

From correspondents in London

AAP

May 22, 2009 07:07am

* Matthew Carney admits hoax bomb threat
* Jailed for 18 months by British court
* Lawyer says he had been tired and stressed

AN Australian flight attendant has been jailed for 18 months after placing bomb threat notes on a plane he was working on.

Matthew Carney, 23, of Melbourne, was arrested after the Emirates Boeing 777 flight landed at Gatwick airport in England amid a major security scare.

While no explosive devices were found, two notes referring to a bomb on the jumbo were discovered - one in a passenger toilet and another in Carney's luggage.

Carney pleaded guilty overnight to making a hoax threat at Lewes Crown Court in southern England, but denied a second charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Handing down Carney's sentence, judge Richard Brown said the Australian had breached the trust of the plane's 164 passengers, its owner and his co-workers.

Carney's lawyer Andel Singh said he had been under great stress and was extremely tired while he was working on board the flight from Dubai in March.

"He apologises wholeheartedly and sincerely to all those individuals who were even the slightest bit inconvenienced," Mr Singh said.

Fears about a bomb being on board the plane arose when Carney found wires hanging in an economy toilet cubicle during the flight to Gatwick.

He alerted senior staff who found the wires were not connected to any electrical devices and removed them before instructing cabin crew to monitor the cubicle for any suspicious activity.

A passenger later found a note warning that "explosive material can be found in the fwd (forward) cargo department" stuck inside another toilet cubicle that Carney had restocked with toilet paper.

The note added: "We have the Taliban to thank for this. It will activate."

The passenger alerted Carney and his supervisor, who passed the note to the captain so he could warn ground staff at Gatwick.

By the time the plane landed early on a Sunday morning, police, ambulance and fire crews were on alert and guided the aircraft to an isolated secure area.

The airport was closed for 15 minutes and all passengers and crew had their bags searched.

Investigators found another note in a pocket of a pair of shorts inside Carney's suitcase which read: "Cargo contains explosives."

The Voice
21st May 2009, 21:49
a practical joke your words I take it? Can't seem to find them in the news report.

qfcabin
21st May 2009, 22:40
"barred from all work for the rest of his life". I don't see that in the report.

heads_down
21st May 2009, 23:25
that is common sense, with a criminal record, how well do you think it sits with prospective employers?

Jail time will automatically put you on the criminal offenders database.

qfcabin
21st May 2009, 23:29
Do you seriously believe that a conviction means you never work again?? That would be a very heavy penalty, and of course is nonsense!

heads_down
21st May 2009, 23:33
most employers do not like to hire people with conviction of a jail time of more than 1 year, and that is at best scenario.

These days almost any decent jobs would ask if you object to a criminal conviction background check. In fact this is becoming the norm.

Since Australia is still a commonwealth subject with extradition agreement in place, I would not be too surprised criminal convictions in UK is recorded in Australian criminal background checks, this is really to protect the interest of the public. And vice versa.

Many people are unaware how sensitive the aviation industry is over "jokes" like that.

Pegasus747
21st May 2009, 23:33
Oh God...ppl do you have to respond to the inane clap trap of Heads down?????

Please remember she is not well

heads_down
21st May 2009, 23:36
well pegasus you might want to see your MP to petition a bill to make it illegal for employers to check your criminal history.

Di_Vosh
21st May 2009, 23:39
Heads_Down, you really should wait a day or so before posting your opinions!

Jail time

does NOT mean

barred from all work for the rest of his life

Plenty of people with criminal records hold down all kinds of employment. In the past, I've worked with ex crims. Some were scumbags; others just did something dumb. All, however, had put it in the past (as had the employer) and were productive workers.

My 2c

DIVOSH!

qfcabin
21st May 2009, 23:44
You're right Peg..I got sucked in by the stupidity..didn't realise it's the non-thinker!

heads_down
21st May 2009, 23:51
Di Vosh the public does not think that way, neither does the law.

Pegasus747
22nd May 2009, 00:00
we dont want flight attendants with criminal convictions flying heads down. If you disagree then POQ

When i say criminal convictions i dont mean running a red light, but bomb hoaxes deserve 10 years not 18 months

Any flight attendant that did that should never work in the industry again. Anyone that supports someone who has done that shouldnt be in the industry either.

I say make it a 10 years sentence. If there is a petition for that i will sign it

argusmoon
22nd May 2009, 00:08
The internet provides a forum for many of those who are socially inept and do not play well with others.
Locked up in a darkened room our little friend Heads Down googles aviation news for any piece of information he deems appropriate for PPRune.Unfortunately he then editorializes with the most inane commentary.He then awaits the incoming and then his day's sport begins.By responding you participate in his silly game.By starving him of comment he will,like most trolls fade away through frustration.He craves attention that he cant get anywhere else.Being ignored will drive him spare.
Ergo...dont feed the troll and eventually starvation sets in and he is gone

Mr. Hat
22nd May 2009, 00:24
It's one thing to let a silly comment slip whilst at security screening or at check in and its a completely different thing to place notes ect.

Doubt he'll work in aviation again but then again I don't know the rules. I thought criminal conviction meant no red asic. I could be wrong though.

As for being tired - well noone in aviation is tired or fatigued.

jungle juice
22nd May 2009, 00:34
heads_down reminds me of someone else who seems to take great delight in posting information about crew in trouble and who is probably not crew.
We have no idea of who heads_down is or what he/she does but seems to know a little about the office.I have not met any crew who is that naive and as such I believe is just an act.
I saw the thread he/she started about the pilots EBA and messed that one up.
What we do know is that the lifts do not seem to reach the top floor with this person.
Moderators please do something about him/her.

Joker 10
22nd May 2009, 00:57
I am an employer, I insist on Criminal Background Checks, none of my companies hire any person with Criminal History, and before the howls of derision, that is a perfectly legal position to adopt equal opportunity does not protect those with criminal history.

Jabawocky
22nd May 2009, 03:36
I too am an employer and I can for this once say I agree with Joker....:eek:

See it can happen!

J:suspect:

PS......Having said that if I needed a storeman and he was the best by far applicant, and his record was some silly joke that got him jailed, I could make an exception. But I would be careful....... Not sure some of the finance fraudsters of late would get an accounting job here though!:=