A passenger who forced a plane to turn around after becoming violent towards cabin crew while mixing Xanax and alcohol during a flight has been fined nearly AUS$26,000 ($20,400).
Luke Macdonald Taylor, 39, became aggressive during a domestic flight from Perth to Brisbane in July 2017 after a flask of alcohol he was drinking from was confiscated.
During a subsequent confrontation, Taylor pushed his fingers into the shoulder of a female customer service manager, threatened to punch male crew member into a wall and attempted to bite a federal officer who came on board to arrest him, reports Perth Now.
Taylor was detained on the runway after the Qantas flight QF 652 from Perth turned around and went back to the airport on account of his aggressive behavior.
Appearing at the Western Australia District Court in Perth, Taylor pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting, threatening with violence or intimidating aircraft crew and one count of obstructing or resisting a police officer.
He has now been fined AUS$10,500 Australian dollars and ordered to pay an additional AUS$15,207 in reparations to Qantas. District Court Judge Bruce Goetze told Taylor that his outburst had put the other 211 passengers and 18 crew members at risk.
The court heard how Taylor had been drinking beer and taken the prescription drug Xanax before boarding the 11:05pm flight.
He then continued to drink bourbon from a flask and quickly downed two other drinks before being asked to stop.
When the crew took his flask from him, Taylor said: "I am doing what I fucking want to do."
During the argument with crew members and other passengers, the court heard how Taylor grabbed the handset off the customer service manager when she tried to contact the pilot. He also clung onto the seats and attempted to fend off the officers who came on board to arrest him when the plane had landed.
Taylor said he did not remember the incident and that his crimes were out of character. He said that people often think he is aggressive due to his size but he in reality he is "just a really nice guy."
"You are not that nice because you have done the things you have pleaded guilty to," Judge Goetze responded.
In a victim statement read out in court, the customer service manager said Taylor's aggressive behavior had caused her anxiety and left her fearing for the safety of the passengers and fellow crew staff.
The male victim who Taylor threatened to punch also took time off work after complaining about feeling nervous and anxious during his job.
Taylor has been banned from flying with Qantas for 25 years because of the incident.
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