A British woman who got drunk and caused a ruckus on a plane after her request for more alcohol was denied was fined $10,000 by the St James Parish Court on Monday.
The judge’s ruling came after a strenuous defence by the woman’s lawyer, including a suggestion that it might be prudent to refrain from serving alcohol aboard aircraft.
Jemma Anderson, 37, of London, England, pleaded guilty to behaving in a disorderly manner on an aircraft, a violation of the Civil Aviation Act.
Anderson, who was represented by attorney-at-law Maurice McCurdy, pleaded guilty to the charge before presiding judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce.
According to court records, on April 6, an officer was directed to gate 17 at the Sangster International Airport in response to reports of a drunk and unruly passenger who had caused a commotion on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London.
When the officer arrived at the gate, he had a conversation with both the flight captain and the purser. The purser pointed out Anderson, claiming that she was hurling insults and using profane language on the plane after he refused to serve her any more alcoholic beverages.
It is reported that Anderson stood up from her seat, flung her hands in the air, and began shouting and swearing.
For safety reasons, the purser requested assistance from Virgin Atlantic Operations Road Services for the aircraft to be landed.
Anderson was taken to the police station and when cautioned, she reportedly asked, “Am I going to jail?”
She continued, “I was only singing Rihanna’s song loudly. I didn’t do anything else.”
After being cautioned again, she reportedly stated, “This is not entirely true; I just had one drink.”
In mitigation, Anderson’s attorney stated that his client was gainfully employed and has no previous conviction.
He explained that she simply had a few drinks and got carried away.
“It was never her intention to cause any trouble on the island or on the plane, and she was looking forward to a useful short vacation with her friend. She is very remorseful and accepts full responsibility,” McCurdy stated.
The attorney also informed the judge that his client had assured him that she would be extra careful about how much she consumed in the future and requested that her actions on the day in question not be used against her.
However, Grant-Pryce expressed concern about the prevalence of these incidents, particularly among passengers from England.
“Bad behaviour induced by alcohol does not make the crime less serious. You are lucky to have landed; usually we send back some passengers on the same flight they arrived on,” the judge said before ordering Anderson to pay a fine of $10,000 or serve 10 days in jail.
