A mechanic has been found guilty of assault after a court heard he tried to throw a Dublin Airport security official from a Ryanair plane during a seating row.
Sergejs Laurenouies (38), of Ballytrasna, Ballycullane, Co Wexford, was handed a six-month suspended sentence following his hearing at Dublin District Court.
Judge John Hughes also fined the father of two €1,000 and ordered him to pay €1,000 compensation to Dublin Airport officer Barry Nevin.
Judge Hughes further directed that Laurenouies could not board any flight from the State unless he was sober, and must also present himself to airport officials four hours before departure.
The judge said the accused must also prove he has completed anger management and alcohol awareness courses and remain on supervised probation for two years.
Laurenouies had denied attacking Mr Nevin on a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Majorca on October 22nd, 2022, at Terminal 1.
Judge Hughes noted the flight was delayed, and the captain refused to take off when Laurenouies refused to sit away from his family.
Laurenouies had complained that another passenger was in his booked seat. He was offered an alternative seat, but he said it did not have enough legroom.
The plane was “fully boarded and ready to depart” when Laurenouies became agitated, and there was a strong smell of alcohol on him, the court heard.
He was asked to sit down three times before the captain intervened and refused to take off with Laurenouies onboard.
Mr Nevin and two colleagues boarded the flight, but the court was told Laurenouies was abusive and “attempted to throw him out the door of the plane”.
The air bridge was not in place, so Mr Nevin held onto the railings, resulting in abrasions and cuts to his hands.
Arrest
Laurenouies denied attacking the officers and claimed he suffered two broken arms and had to wear a cast as a result of being hurt during his arrest.
However, the court heard he was seen by a doctor when he was taken to a Garda station, and he did not provide medical evidence to support his claim.
Convicting him for assault, Judge Hughes said he did not accept Laurenouies’ evidence.
The judge described the incident as serious, adding that travel was stressful at the best of times, and Laurenouies’ holiday plans turned into a nightmare.
Prosecuting Garda Emmet O’Byrne said the accused spent most of the night of his arrest in Garda custody after repeatedly refusing to sign a bail bond.
The Latvian national has lived and worked in Ireland for 20 years and has no prior criminal convictions.
Following legal submissions from defence solicitor Michael French, Laurenouies was cleared of a connected charge for being intoxicated to the extent that he was a danger to himself and others on the plane.
By Tom Tuite
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