Latest news with #Stilnox
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
‘Bizarre' twist in ‘terrifying' plane incident
A man who tried to open the doors of a plane mid-flight and assaulted a crew member who tried to stop him has had his charges dropped after a court found he was suffering 'adverse and unusual' effects of a drug he'd only just been prescribed. Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, a 47-year-old Jordanian national, tried to open the doors of a plane in the middle of a flight coming into Sydney from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was moved to another seat where he again tried to open one of the doors, assaulting an airline crew member as staff and passengers restrained him. Mr Alsaaydeh pleaded guilty to charges of endangering the safety of aircraft and assaulting, threatening and intimidating the airline crew. The offences can carry a maximum of 10 years imprisonment; however, magistrate Jennifer Atkinson dropped the charges on Friday morning. A man who tried to open the doors of a plane mid-flight and assaulted a crew member who tried to stop him has had his charges completely dropped. NewsWire / James Gourley Credit: News Corp Australia Having spent months in custody, Mr Alsaaydeh dialled into court through an audiovisual link, often sitting with his head down and wiping away tears. The court was told how Mr Alsaaydeh had only recently been prescribed the sleeping medication Stilnox by a doctor before his flight to Australia, and it was likely side effects of the drug caused him to embark on the 'terrifying' ordeal. 'This is different to a situation where you might have been on prescription medication for a long period … what happened on that flight likely was you suffering from one of the adverse and unusual side effects of that medication,' Ms Atkinson told the court. She said she had seen previous reports of 'really bizarre behaviour' as a result of the medication, with a pharmacologist's report revealing Mr Alsaaydeh's actions as described by airline staff were consistent with the unusual side effects. 'The bizarre behaviour described by airline staff is entirely consistent with what is known as parasomnia or complex sleep behaviour associated with amnesia and hallucinations in which an individual engages in potentially dangerous actions, effectively in a sleep state, without any awareness or memory of any activity after recovering from the effects of the drug,' Ms Atkinson quoted from the report. She said Mr Alsaaydeh had previously travelled overseas to represent the Jordanian government, he was 'well regarded' in Jordan and had no criminal record. 'But on the 5th of April you got on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and you took Stilnox and other medication and what happened after that was incidents on the plane where you tried to open the door and where you assaulted cabin staff,' she said. Mr Alsaaydeh nodded as Ms Atkinson said how it would have been a 'terrifying time' for others on-board the plane. Ms Atkinson ultimately dropped the charges, with Mr Alsaaydeh set to leave Australia. 'It is inexpedient to inflict any punishment and without proceeding to a conviction I dismiss the charge,' she said. Mr Alsaaydeh immediately stood and clasped his hands together upon her decision. More to come
News.com.au
5 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Bizarre behaviour': Charges dropped for man who tried to open plane doors mid-flight
A man who tried to open the doors of a plane mid-flight and assaulted a crew member who tried to stop him has had his charges dropped after a court found he was suffering 'adverse and unusual' effects of a drug he'd only just been prescribed. Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, a 47-year-old Jordanian national, tried to open the doors of a plane in the middle of a flight coming into Sydney from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was moved to another seat where he again tried to open one of the doors, assaulting an airline crew member as staff and passengers restrained him. Mr Alsaaydeh pleaded guilty to charges of endangering the safety of aircraft and assaulting, threatening and intimidating the airline crew. The offences can carry a maximum of 10 years imprisonment; however, magistrate Jennifer Atkinson dropped the charges on Friday morning. Having spent months in custody, Mr Alsaaydeh dialled into court through an audiovisual link, often sitting with his head down and wiping away tears. The court was told how Mr Alsaaydeh had only recently been prescribed the sleeping medication Stilnox by a doctor before his flight to Australia, and it was likely side effects of the drug caused him to embark on the 'terrifying' ordeal. 'This is different to a situation where you might have been on prescription medication for a long period … what happened on that flight likely was you suffering from one of the adverse and unusual side effects of that medication,' Ms Atkinson told the court. She said she had seen previous reports of 'really bizarre behaviour' as a result of the medication, with a pharmacologist's report revealing Mr Alsaaydeh's actions as described by airline staff were consistent with the unusual side effects. 'The bizarre behaviour described by airline staff is entirely consistent with what is known as parasomnia or complex sleep behaviour associated with amnesia and hallucinations in which an individual engages in potentially dangerous actions, effectively in a sleep state, without any awareness or memory of any activity after recovering from the effects of the drug,' Ms Atkinson quoted from the report. She said Mr Alsaaydeh had previously travelled overseas to represent the Jordanian government, he was 'well regarded' in Jordan and had no criminal record.  'But on the 5th of April you got on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and you took Stilnox and other medication and what happened after that was incidents on the plane where you tried to open the door and where you assaulted cabin staff,' she said. Mr Alsaaydeh nodded as Ms Atkinson said how it would have been a 'terrifying time' for others on-board the plane. Ms Atkinson ultimately dropped the charges, with Mr Alsaaydeh set to leave Australia. 'It is inexpedient to inflict any punishment and without proceeding to a conviction I dismiss the charge,' she said. Mr Alsaaydeh immediately stood and clasped his hands together upon her decision.
7NEWS
22-07-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
Sleeping pills the cause of Joe Biden's disastrous debate, son claims
Former US president Joe Biden 's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. 'And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times,' Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. 'He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. 'They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights,' Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate.
The Advertiser
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Biden's disastrous debate due to sleeping pills: son
Former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. "And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate. Former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. "And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate. Former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. "And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate. Former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. "And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate.
Perth Now
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Biden's disastrous debate due to sleeping pills: son
Former US president Joe Biden's son Hunter says his father's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump was the result of him taking the sedative Ambien due to his travel. "And I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He (Joe Biden) flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said in an interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as shit. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden added. Ambien, also sold under the brand Stilnox, is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the catastrophic June 24 debate. Prior to being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US west coast for a fundraiser. Biden's debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against his candidacy for the 2024 elections. Less than a month later, Biden stepped aside as presidential candidate after having trailed Trump in the polls. Former vice president Kamala Harris then became the candidate for the Democrats and went on to lose to Trump in the November elections. In the days after the debate, the former president blamed his performance on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier that month. In the interview released on Monday, Hunter Biden also expressed frustration with Democratic voices, strategists and lawmakers who abandoned his father's candidacy following the debate.
