An unruly passenger who created a scene on board a Singapore
Airlines flight last month was fined a total of
$15,000.
Eustonian ship engineer Vadim Beljanin was on board a flight from
Frankfurt to Singapore in December when he was drunk and
disorderly.
According to court documents, Beljanin was seen drinking from a
bottle of whiskey which he had brought onto the flight.
A few hours later, Beljanin was drunk and was annoying
passengers.
He tried to kiss another passenger, repeatedly punched the LCD
monitor until his fist bled and assaulted an air
steward.
It took three stewards to restraint him, and the plane made an
unscheduled landing at Dubai Airport to drop off the
accused.
Total costs incurred by Singapore Airlines because the unscheduled
stop at Dubai, extra fuel and other damages?
Almost $50,000.
Before sentencing, District Judge Low Wee Ping said the seriousness
of the offence called for a stiff fine.
Beljanin, who was unrepresented, had pleaded guilty to two charges
of being drunk on the flight and imperiling the safety of the
aircraft earlier this month.
Under the Air Navigation Order, he could have been fined up to
$20,000 and jailed for up to 15 months on the first charge and
fined up to $100,000 and jailed up to five years for the
other.
It is not known if the $15,000 fine is the stiffest sentence handed
out so far.
Three years ago, Briton Gareth Gaudion was fined $5,000 for being
drunk and molesting an air stewardess during a Singapore Airlines
flight from London to Singapore.
He also shouted at other cabin crew and also verbally abused
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who was on the same flight.
--938Live
LOL this should be in GCA lolx...
And that Brit verbally abused Lee Kuan Yew? EPIC WIN~!
