Irish MMA fighter Sinead Kavanagh has been released on bail by a Spanish court after being arrested on board a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin.
The 39-year-old was detained on Monday after allegedly attacking two Guardia Civil officers called to deal with a disturbance on the flight. She spent the night in a police cell before appearing in court in Telde, Gran Canaria.
The featherweight fighter was released on bail but remains under investigation for alleged assault and resisting arrest.
A court source said she had declined to answer questions from the judge. “She declined to testify and the court agreed to provisionally release her,” the source said. “The investigating magistrate is now awaiting a forensic expert to determine the extent of the officers’ injuries so it can determine whether this can be resolved as a minor offence or misdemeanour or needs to go to trial as a more serious offence.”
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Another source said Ms Kavanagh will be summoned to appear in court if a trial is scheduled. “If she doesn’t comply a European Arrest Warrant would be issued as is the norm in these cases with tourists.”
The Guardia Civil said officers were called by the pilot because two passengers were causing problems on board the plane as it was about to take off. “One of those passengers resisted and got into a tussle with officers and ended up being arrested,” the police said.
Ryanair said in a statement: “The crew of this flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin called ahead for police assistance before departure after two passengers became disruptive on board. These passengers were offloaded before this flight continued to Dublin.
“Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption.”
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Ms Kavanagh, from Inchicore in Dublin, was a five-time national boxing champion and competed alongside Katie Taylor on the Irish team that went to the World Championships in 2021. She later quit boxing and became an MMA fighter.
