Mum who threatened to punch Ryanair stewardess in booze-fuelled rant avoids jail after claiming she got drunk for ‘escapism’ on flight
Julie Morris, 54, had begrudgingly agreed to join her daughter's 21st birthday party in Ibiza - and things soon got out of hand
A MUM who threatened to punch an air stewardess during an alcohol-fuelled rant on a passenger jet walked free today after claiming she had got drunk to seek ''escapism''.
Julie Morris, 54, had begrudgingly agreed to join her daughter's 21st birthday party in Ibiza but as she was about to board a flight she bought a bottle of duty free vodka and began drinking it in the departure lounge.
By the time she got on the RyanAir jet at Manchester, Morris was so drunk she began screaming and shouting obscenities at cabin crew as she sat next a baby, telling one staff member: "f*** off you f****** b****."
She warned another worker: ''I will punch her."
The Boeing 737 took off at 3.20pm after Morris was ordered to switch seats but just 40 minutes into the flight the pilot was forced to turn back at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds after the passenger continued being disruptive.
Police met Morris off the jet at Terminal 3 and found her to be ''swaying and slurring her words'' as she disembarked.
She was also too drunk to be interviewed and was placed in cells until she sobered up.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Morris, from Blackburn, Lancs, admitted being drunk on an aircraft.
She faced up to two years jail but was freed with a suspended six-month prison sentence after a judge heard she had been publicly humiliated since the incident on September 17 and faced losing her job.
Brian McKenna, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was on a Ryan Air flight from Manchester to Ibiza travelling with family members.
''Shortly after the flight took off she began screaming and swearing, shouting 'f***'.
''She at the time was sitting in a seat opposite a baby and she was asked by a female member of the cabin crew to stop swearing. Her reply to the request was 'f*** off you f****** b*****.
''As the cabin crew member walked off she heard the defendant say: 'I’ll punch her'. The defendant seemed to be drinking alcohol from a soft drink bottle.
''Because of her behaviour she was moved to another seat but she continued to disrupt the flight by shouting and swearing. A decision was then made to redirect the flight and return to Manchester airport.
''There the police we waiting for the defendant. They saw her coming off the plane and they noticed as she did, she came towards them she was clearly drunk.
''They described her as swaying as she stood and she was slurring her words. She appeared to be angry and she was saying she hadn’t done anything.
''She was arrested and taken to a police station but she was considered to be too drunk to question in any way, formally or otherwise. The police recovered a soft drinks bottle left at her seat. They smelt the contents and it clearly contained some alcohol.
Morris had previous convictions for criminal damage, drink driving and disorderly behaviour.
Her lawyer Duncan Nightingale said in mitigation: “'This lady is deeply ashamed by her actions. She consumed alcohol on the way to the airport and at the airport.
"She bought a bottle of vodka at the duty free and topped up her bottle and she then drank in the lounge area and was drinking on the plane.
''It was her daughter’s 21st birthday and they were going to Ibiza for it.
"She didn’t particularly want to go but she felt she had to as it was her daughters 21st birthday. The amount of alcohol consumed was an escapism from the holiday.
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''She is deeply ashamed and embarrassed. The incident was plastered all over the front page of her local press but perhaps she has brought this upon herself.
"She feels embarrassed and ashamed for herself and her family. Her employer was made aware of this and this was resulted in a suspension, a further meeting is due to take place and they have indicated she will lose her employment and essentially lose her income.”
Sentencing Judge Stuart Driver QC told Morris: “This was a serious incident which caused significant disruption, inconvenience and no doubt anxiety to a large amount of innocent people.
''I will pass a sentence of imprisonment, however, due to your personal circumstances I am able to suspect d that sentence. If you commit another offence during the next 12 months you will be brought back to come and some or all of this suspended sentence will be activated.”
Morris was emotionless throughout the hearing.
