Drunken plane passenger who was refused more alcohol threatened flight attendant

Annalese Gorman (29), with an address listed as North Howard Street in Belfast, pleaded guilty to being drunk in an aircraft on December 24 last year.

She also admitted assaulting a flight attendant and using threatening, abusive or insulting words towards a member of the crew of an aircraft.

The defendant - who had 133 previous convictions - appeared at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena on Tuesday, for sentencing.

The court was told a flight left Belfast International Airport at 10.30am bound for Tenerife. There were no issues for the first hour and a half but then the defendant was unsteady on her feet, was bumping into passengers and her speech was slurred as she made her way to a toilet. During drinks service Gorman said to the flight attendant: "I f***ing asked you for a West Coast Cooler". Gorman was standing up and pointing and shouting. She was asked to sit down and not to use foul language. She was then told she would not be served with any alcohol and got up and began swearing at the flight attendant. Gorman told the attendant it was her "fault she was drunk" as she had "served her during the first service on the flight". She was pointing at the attendant and was restrained by passengers in her company. She was told her behaviour was unacceptable as "there were children on the flight," the prosecutor said. The defendant attempted to headbutt the attendant and was trying to punch her but was being held back by her mother and boyfriend. The victim was "extremely frightened due to the aggressive behaviour and the level of intoxication shown by the defendant". The defendant was said to have “calmed" and sat down. Police had been requested upon arrival at Tenerife and she was arrested. When the plane landed in Tenerife passengers were asked to remain seated so Gorman could be "off-loaded". The defendant became irate and began shouting and had to be taken to the bottom of the steps by police. The victim was at the top of the steps and Gorman shouted at her: "I am going to f***ing kill you. I am going to rip your f***ing eyes out". The flight attendant was said to be terrified. Gorman was restrained by five police officers but was said to be "taking her clothes off in an attempt to escape from the police to get at the victim". The court heard a lifetime ban from using the air company was served on the defendant and she had to use another airline to get home. A defence solicitor said the defendant had gone to Tenerife for a holiday and after arrest she was held by Spanish police for six and a half hours at the airport. The solicitor said she had injured herself whilst in custody and had to be taken to hospital. He said she had little or no memory of the incident and when told what happened she was "disgusted" and "mortified". District Judge Nigel Broderick said it had been appalling behaviour. He said the cabin crew member was put in fear of assault which was wholly unacceptable. The judge noted the defendant had expressed remorse but he didn't know if that was genuine or an attempt to avoid jail. He told her: "You need to turn this corner very quick because you are running out of road here. You have had custodial sentences in the past and if you don't mend you ways that is where you are going back". He recognised Gorman is "somebody with a number of challenges" and "not without significant hesitation" he was not jailing her but was putting her on probation for a year with a condition to get addiction treatment. She was also fined £250. The judge told her: "This is your very last chance. If you breach this Order I'll revoke the Order and send you straight to prison".