Man fined £2,224 for Heathrow flight drunken abuse

Emmet Moynihan, 31, has been fined £2,224 after admitting to verbally abusing staff and failing to obey lawful commands of a pilot on a British Airways flight departing from Heathrow. The incident occurred on August 6, and videos of the altercation later circulated online, garnering more than six million views.

Drunken behaviour on board

Moynihan, who travelled from Cork, Republic of Ireland, for a stag do in Las Vegas, appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to two charges: entering an aircraft when drunk and failing to obey the lawful commands of a pilot. The court heard that Moynihan smelled of alcohol and was clearly intoxicated when he boarded the flight.

Prosecutor Abigail Day told the court that Moynihan attempted to use the toilet after being informed the flight was delayed. When asked to return to his seat, he verbally abused staff, calling the situation a “f****** joke”. Passengers began filming the incident, and Moynihan was seen lunging towards phones, telling people to “stop f***** recording me”. The co-pilot became involved in an effort to get Moynihan to sit down.

Court decision

Moynihan’s lawyer, Paul Turnbull, stated his client had consumed alcohol in Cork before travelling and had access to a lounge at Heathrow. Moynihan admitted both offences. In addition to the £2,224 fine, he was ordered to pay a £890 surcharge and £85 in costs.

Magistrate Sandra Joseph commented that the case was not sent to the Crown Court solely because the plane remained on the ground. She noted that if the aircraft had been in the air, the matter would have been considered more serious.