A drunk couple were kicked off an easyJet flight after boasting about necking drinks in an airport VIP lounge, with a selfie captioned ‘Already tipsy on the free bar.’
Paul Brady, 39, and his wife Loretta, 34, from Droyslden, Greater Manchester, downed five pints of lager between them at Manchester Airport before boarding a plane to Copenhagen.
The pair were removed from their flight to applause from fellow passengers an hour later, after Brady became ‘aggressive’ while struggling to find space in the overhead cabin.
The engineer, who had a bottle of vodka with him, was heard shouting ‘This is a f****** joke’, before telling a cabin crew member to ‘f*** off’ when they asked him to calm down.
Paul Brady, 39, and his wife Loretta, 34, were kicked off an easyJet flight after they posted a selfie (pictured) captioned ‘Already tipsy on the free bar’
The couple, pictured on another holiday, downed five pints of lager between them at Manchester Airport before boarding a plane to Copenhagen
Brady’s wife Loretta posted a photo of themselves at the airport on Facebook, boasting that they were in the Escape VIP Lounge at Terminal 1
Police who arrived on the scene asked Brady asked to tone down his language. He replied in response: ‘I pay your wages, you f****** public servant – why are you standing up for that f****** gobs****’.
He was then arrested and handcuffed as officers feared he was about to spit at them.
Before boarding the flight, Brady had posted a photograph of themselves boasting how they had been drinking at the Escape VIP Lounge at Terminal 1.
The incident occurred on August 4 after the couple toasted their trip to the Danish capital.
Brady admitted to being drunk on an aircraft and threatening behaviour at Manchester Magistrates Court.
He will now face a judge at the Crown Court, after magistrates ruled their sentencing powers were insufficient.
Brady, pictured leaving court, admitted to being drunk on an aircraft and threatening behaviour at Manchester Magistrates Court
Prosecutor Matthew Treece said the arrest took place during a police operation cracking down on the number of drunk people boarding flights from Manchester Airport using the easyJet airline.
He added: ‘At 6:20 the flights began boarding and there were no problems currently from the defendant or his partner. They were the last ones to board the plane.
‘But when they boarded, because they were the last ones there was limited room for their hand luggage to go in the overhead compartment.
‘The defendant was moving people’s luggage around to try and create space. He said “this is a f****** joke” and continued trying to shift people’s luggage around. A member of staff approached him and asked him to calm down.
‘They explained to him that he could leave his luggage in the hold. He refused to listen and told them to ‘f*** off’. The member of the cabin crew tried to calm him down and prevent him from getting worse. He explained that if he continued then he would be removed from the flight.
Brady, pictured with Loretta, was described as being ‘aggressive’ after struggling to find any space in the overhead cabin for his hand luggage
‘He was described as being very aggressive and threatening and didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. He was showing no respect towards the staff. He eventually returned to his seat after they threatened to have him removed from the flight.’
Mr Treece continued: ‘A bottle of vodka bought from the duty free section of the airport was found in a plastic bag next to his seat and staff thought it had been opened. The cabin member asked him for the bottle of vodka but he refused to give it to them.
‘They said if he did not give them the bottle he wouldn’t be allowed to fly but started to get very aggressive. The cabin member thought he was going to go for him or another person in the flight.
‘He continued to swear at the cabin member and they asked him to collect his belongings and leave. They told him to do this three times.
‘The cabin crew member went to speak to the cabin manager and the captain to let them know what was happening and the police were then contacted and escorted him from the flight.
The engineer was heard shouting loudly ‘This is a f****** joke’, before telling a cabin crew member to ‘f*** off’ when they asked him to calm down
The engineer had a bottle of vodka, which he had bought from duty free, with him when boarding the flight
‘The airplane was kept on the ground which disrupted the flight for the other holidaymakers whilst a PA message was sent out saying police were about to remove the defendant and his wife from the flight – to which the rest of the holidaymakers burst into a round of applause.
‘The officers walked him off the flight and back into the airport. The defendant kept saying ‘I haven’t done anything wrong, I haven’t f***ing done anything’ and officers described him smelling of alcohol.
‘He continued to speak to them in an aggressive and threatening manner. The defendants wife was also drunk and they were telling her to move along too, he told them to leave them and said ‘don’t f****** speak to my wife like that.’ They told him to watch his language and his behaviour.
‘They took him to one side and explained what he had done and why he was removed from the flight but he was saying things like “I pay your wages, you f****** public servant, why are you standing up for that f****** gobs****”.
‘They tried to calm him down, but the defendant continued to be aggressive and they put him in handcuffs. He lunged at the constable and tried to move his body to face him, which made the officer think he was going to spit at him.
Brady was arrested by police, after he told officers: ‘I pay your wages, you f****** public servant – why are you standing up for that f***** gobs****’
The incident took place on August 4, after the couple (pictured on another holiday) toasted a trip to Copenhagen
‘He detained him on the floor near to the immigration section of the airline and some other officers came over to help. They took him into the police van and read him his caution and rights. He continued to be aggressive.’
The prosecutor added: ‘This offence is aggravated because he was intoxicated. He clearly caused annoyance and distress to the other people on board and he refused to leave the flight when he was asked to.
‘He was unpleasant with his behaviour and it is something you don’t want to be dealing with when you start your holiday. He was aggressive right up until he was taken away by the police. The defendants partner was also drunk – but she wasn’t arrested. She didn’t behave in an unpleasant way.’
Defence lawyer Nmandi Inegbu said that Brady knew his behaviour was ‘completely inappropriate and unpleasant, but argued he ‘didn’t intend to cause harm or distress.’
He added: ‘He said that his flight was delayed and because of that he had another drink. People should be able to relax before their holidays but then you should also be able to know when you’ve had enough, and he realises that.
Other passengers broke out into a round of applause after the couple were removed from the easyJet flight
Brady’s defence lawyer said that he knew his behaviour was ‘completely inappropriate and unpleasant’
‘He explained that he and his wife had five pints of lager before they boarded the flight. He explained that he was annoyed when they suggested he had drunk from the bottle of vodka because it still had the cap on.
‘He was trying to explain to them that he could show them the receipt and the bottle to prove he and not drunk from it.’
Mr Inegbu continued: ‘But because he was slightly under the influence he couldn’t coherently explain what he wanted. His protest was to prove that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
‘When the cabin crew challenged him, he knows now that he reacted in the wrong way. He knew he shouldn’t have sworn at them.
Brady was released on bail and will be sentenced by a Crown Court judge next month
‘When the officer challenged him, he explained that he was trying to defend his wife because he thought they were being aggressive with her. He accepts this was wholly inappropriate behaviour’.
‘He tells me that he flies regularly as part of his job and he is ashamed of his behaviour.
He understands that he wasn’t acting like himself. He knows that they were trying to do their job.
‘He knows that he was incoherent in explaining to the staff, and police, about his bottle of vodka not being open or drunk from.’
Brady will be sentenced next month and was released on bail.