A 37-year-old Derry man was yesterday jailed for a month after pleading guilty to a number of offences arising from an air-rage incident on board a transatlantic Aer Lingus flight on December 28th last.
At Ennis District Court yesterday Judge Joseph Mangan imposed the prison term on Ray McColgan, with a Derry city address, after hearing that flight attendants and passengers feared for their safety on the Boston-Shannon-Dublin flight because of McColgan's behaviour.
McColgan had been living in Boston for the past 18 months on the "Walsh Visa" programme and his conviction throws into doubt his future in the US.
McColgan became unruly on the flight after drinking duty-free Greygoose vodka and has been in custody since he was arrested by gardaí at Shannon Airport on December 28th.
In evidence, Sgt Noel McMahon, of Shannon Garda station, said McColgan had shouted threats to some of the 305 passengers on board the flight, saying: "I'll shoot you, I'll kill you and I'll fight you." The senior flight attendant on board the aircraft had said that the flight attendants and passengers were in fear of their safety.
Sgt McMahon said that McColgan had slapped one of the flight attendants and had made a lewd comment to her.
In court yesterday, McColgan said: "It was a terrible mistake and I may have thrown away the opportunity I have been given in the US. There will never be a repeat of the behaviour."
He added: "I am very sorry for what happened. It is not in my character and I am totally surprised at what I did. It was a lack of judgment to drink duty-free vodka that was bought for a friend."
McColgan pleaded guilty to being intoxicated on board the flight, to disorderly conduct and to refusing to desist from his behaviour on December 28th last.
Sgt McMahon told the court that two hours into the flight McColgan became unruly and started punching the seats in front of him. "The passengers were frightened and Mr McColgan was moved to another seat. He was asked to behave by flight attendant staff, but continued to shout, and the more he drank, the more aggressive he got."
Sgt McMahon said that the flight crew put a service trolley in front of Colgan's seat, on which he fell asleep. He added: "The crew were worried by this man's behaviour."
When the aircraft landed at Shannon, McColgan was woken up by gardaí and was arrested and taken to Shannon Garda station.
