logo
Insurance broker spared jail and record after smoke alarm triggered on flight to Dublin

Insurance broker spared jail and record after smoke alarm triggered on flight to Dublin

BreakingNews.ie13-06-2025
An insurance broker who triggered a smoke alarm on a London Stansted—Dublin flight after aggressively ignoring cabin crew just before takeoff has been spared jail and a criminal record.
Father of two, William Horn, 29, of Stone Rings Lane, Harrowgate, England, pleaded guilty on June 2nd to charges under the Air Navigation and Transport Act following his arrest the previous day at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport.
Advertisement
Judge John Brennan had said that if Horn donated €500 to a Dublin charity which has assisted people affected by homelessness and addiction, he would be spared a criminal record.
The judge warned that failure to pay would result in recorded convictions and fines totalling €800.
Horn was released on €300 bail and excused from attending when the case resumed.
Judge John King noted his colleague's order and was shown a receipt of payment by defence solicitor Edward Bradbury.
Advertisement
He applied the Probation of Offenders Act.
Earlier, airport-based Garda Sandip Shrestha said he charged the accused with offensive behaviour on the Ryanair flight and setting off the smoke alarm, and the accused replied, 'You are chatting shit'.
Judge John Brennan heard that Horn came to Ireland for a birthday party, which he missed by being held for the night in Garda custody before his court hearing.
Garda Shreshta said on June 1st, he received a call from cabin crew about 'a disruptive passenger' on the flight. Garda Shreshta learned that Horn was in the toilet, and 'a plume of smoke set off the smoke alarm inside the plane'.
Advertisement
The captain also confirmed to the garda that the alarm was also activated in the cockpit.
Judge Brennan heard that it started in Stansted when the aircraft was taxiing to the runway.
The seatbelt signs were activated, but Horn 'ignored the cabin crew's instructions and went to the toilet, and walked by the cabin crew in an aggressive manner'.
Defence solicitor Edward Bradbury told the court his client, who remained silent during the hearing, was pleading guilty and from his perspective, it had been 'somewhat an ordeal and in his own mind a misunderstanding'.
Advertisement
The garda agreed with Mr Bradbury that the aircraft was about to take off when Horn decided to go to the toilet.
The accused had no prior convictions in Ireland.
Ireland
Shop assistants plead guilty to major fraud at Co...
Read More
Mr Bradbury said his client has been 'chastened' by this ordeal.
The court heard there was no evidence of intoxication, and Horn insisted he was not smoking in the toilet. However, the solicitor acknowledged that, at the very least, the issue had a smattering of recklessness all over it.
The solicitor said it happened when the aircraft was taxiing for take-off, which was aggravating circumstances for the flight attendants.
Judge Brennan had said it happened in a confined environment where people were vulnerable, but on the scale of these offences, it ranked at the lower end.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brit mum who allegedly smuggled cannabis into Mauritius in son's suitcase held in hellhole prison
Brit mum who allegedly smuggled cannabis into Mauritius in son's suitcase held in hellhole prison

Daily Record

timean hour ago

  • Daily Record

Brit mum who allegedly smuggled cannabis into Mauritius in son's suitcase held in hellhole prison

Natashia Artug was arrested in Mauritius after an estimated £1.6million worth of cannabis was reportedly found inside luggage. A British mum is being held in a notorious hellhole prison accused of attempting to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius inside her six-year-old son's suitcase, it is reported. ‌ It is said Natashia Artug faces waiting more than a year on remand in the women's' section of Beau Bassin Central Prison just outside the island capital Port Louis. This period is understood to be before the 35-year-old mother of two is even brought to trial. ‌ The jail, home to 135 women inmates, has been described as being filthy with prisoners often having to spend hours outside "under the scorching sun", reports the Mirror. ‌ Artug was arrested with six other Britons and her Romanian boyfriend after they allegedly tried to smuggle 161kg of cannabis worth £1.6million into Mauritius. However, her representatives from London-based non-profit Justice Abroad claim she had been coerced into travelling to the island nation by people who threatened her and her family. ‌ After the group's British Airways flight from Gatwick touched down at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month, it is said cannabis weighing 14kg was found wrapped in cellophane packages and stuffed inside Artug's six-year-old son's wheelie case. And so authorities in Mauritius are understood to therefore be treating Artug's case with utmost seriousness. The mum, though, is being held alongside four other British women, all arrested with her and all from Cambridgeshire. The defendant was reportedly initially held under guard with her son in the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so they could be together. However, she is believed to have been transferred to the Beau Bassin Central Prison after her son's father reportedly flew over to collect him and took him back to the UK. Artug, from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, is yet to comment publicly about her experience. ‌ Prison conditions in Mauritius were slammed in a 2014 report, which said they "did not always meet international standards" and drug abuse had been reported in jails across the island. More than half of the women at Beau Bassin Central Prison are believed to be foreign with the majority serving sentences or on remand for drug offences. Yet the Human Rights report by the US State Department highlighted a "lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care" as "problems" at the clink. In a further comment on the jail, it added: "Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems." The document, though, did not specify whether the issues related to the women's' section of the jail or the far larger mens' section. It described, however, record-keeping in prisons on the island as "adequate" with inmates able to have visitors, submit complaints and follow religious observance. In relation to the case, a Foreign Office spokesman has said: "We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Brit mum arrested in Mauritius with son, 6, is being held in hellhole prison
Brit mum arrested in Mauritius with son, 6, is being held in hellhole prison

Daily Mirror

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Brit mum arrested in Mauritius with son, 6, is being held in hellhole prison

Natashia Artug, who lives in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was arrested in Mauritius after an estimated £1.6 million worth of cannabis was reportedly found inside luggage A British mum accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius inside her six-year-old son's suitcase is being held there in a notorious hellhole prison, it is reported. ‌ It is said Natashia Artug faces waiting more than a year on remand in the womens' section of Beau Bassin Central Prison just outside the island capital Port Louis. This period is understood to be before Artug, 35, is even brought to trial. The jail, home to 135 women inmates, has been described as being filthy with prisoners often having to spend hours outside "under the scorching sun". ‌ Artug, who is a mother of two, was arrested with six other Britons and her Romanian boyfriend after they allegedly tried to smuggle 161kg of cannabis worth £1.6million into Mauritius. However, she had been coerced into travelling to the island nation by people who threatened her and her family, said London-based non-profit Justice Abroad, who is representing the woman. ‌ After the group's British Airways flight from Gatwick touched down at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month, it is said cannabis weighing 14kg was found wrapped in cellophane packages and stuffed inside Artug's six-year-old son's wheelie case. And so authorities in Mauritius are understood to therefore be treating Artug's case with utmost seriousness. The mum, though, is being held alongside four other British women, all arrested with her and all from Cambridgeshire. ‌ The defendant was reportedly initially held under guard with her son in the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so they could be together. However, she is believed to have been transferred to the Beau Bassin Central Prison after her son's father reportedly flew over to collect him and took him back to the UK. Artug, from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, is yet to comment publicly about her experience. Prison conditions in Mauritius were slammed in a 2014 report, which said they "did not always meet international standards" and drug abuse had been reported in jails across the island. More than half of the women at Beau Bassin Central Prison are believed to be foreign with the majority serving sentences or on remand for drug offences. Yet the Human Rights report by the US State Department highlighted a "lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care" as "problems" at the clink. In a further comment on the jail, it added: "Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems." The document, though, did not specify whether the issues related to the womens' section of the jail or the far larger mens' section. It described, however, record-keeping in prisons on the island as "adequate" with inmates able to have visitors, submit complaints and follow religious observance. In relation to the case, a Foreign Office spokesman has said: "We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities."

Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim
Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim

The Independent

time14 hours ago

  • The Independent

Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim

Kevin Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted a young actor at a party at The Savoy hotel and then told him 'Don't worry about it', court documents for the High Court legal claim suggest. Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, claiming he suffered psychiatric damage as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. The 33-year-old has waived his anonymity in the claim. In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Mr Cannon alleges that Mr Spacey, who was a 'powerful figure and a world-famous actor and celebrity' at the time, assaulted him in about June 2013, when he was 'a very vulnerable young man'. Oscar-winning actor Mr Spacey has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing, and details of his defence are not yet available. According to the documents, filed in June, Mr Spacey was working as artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre at the time of the alleged assaults on a production of a play by Tennessee Williams known as Sweet Bird Of Youth, and Mr Cannon was a member of the cast in this production. They claim that Mr Spacey 'took a particular interest' in Mr Cannon for 'reasons of sexual interest' and sent him a 'lavish' gift of a framed poster of the 1985 production of the play directed by Harold Pinter. After the press preview of the show on June 12 2013, Mr Cannon attended a party at The Savoy in London organised by The Old Vic Theatre Company (The Cut) and The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000. It is claimed that one of the alleged assaults took place at the event. Setting out the allegations, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, for Mr Cannon, said: 'Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant towards him, turned him around through 45 degrees and placed his left hand on the claimant's buttocks and lifted up the recess material of his suit.' It is alleged that Mr Spacey then pushed Mr Cannon's underwear 'as far up' into his bottom as possible, 'so as to cause pain and distress'. Ms Gumbel added: 'Mr Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant closer to him and whispered into the claimant's ear 'Don't worry about it'. 'Mr Spacey made more uncalled for and unwelcome advances to the claimant during the evening.' The following day, Mr Cannon reported the alleged assaults to his stage manager at the Old Vic Theatre, but no action was taken. According to the documents, it is accepted that Mr Cannon did not ask for any action to be taken, and was scared about how any further action might affect his career. Later that year, during the run of the show, Mr Cannon saw Mr Spacey at the Old Vic bar. Mr Spacey allegedly said to him, 'I hear you have a dirty secret', and then said: 'Open up.' Ms Gumbel said: 'Kevin Spacey then forced open the claimant's mouth with his fingers and thumbs and commented 'quite a bad boy' before the claimant could pull away. 'The claimant then left the bar. The forcing open of the claimant's mouth was another assault for which Kevin Spacey was responsible and for which the second and/or third defendants were vicariously liable. 'Further in 2017 when the Old Vic set up a confidential complaints email on October 31 2017 the claimant reported the above complaint again to the Old Vic.' She added that the alleged assaults were carried out by Mr Spacey in the course of his work for the organisations connected to the Old Vic, and they are 'vicariously liable' for the alleged assaults carried out in the context of a theatre production.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store