Man tried to throw airport police officer out of Ryanair plane in 'leg-room' row
A court has heard how a row over “leg-room” on board a Ryanair flight led to a passenger attempting to throw an airport security official from the aircraft.
Mechanic Sergejs Laurenouies, 38, was on a flight from Dublin to Majorca on October 22, 2022, with the plane on the tarmac at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1 when the incident took place.
Dad-of-two Laurenouies had complained that another passenger was in his booked seat, near his family group. He was offered an alternative seat, but he said it did not have enough legroom, Dublin District Court heard.
The plane was “fully boarded and ready to depart” when Laurenouies became agitated, and there was a strong smell of alcohol from him. He was asked to sit down three times before the captain intervened and refused to take off with Laurenouies on the flight, the Irish Mirror reports.
Dublin Airport Police officer Barry Nevin was called along with two colleagues, they boarded the plane but Laurenouies was allegedly abusive and “attempted to throw him out the door of the plane”.
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There was no air-bridge linking the plane to the terminal and officer Nevin held onto the railings, resulting in abrasions and cuts to his hands. Laurenouies had denied attacking the authorised officer, Mr Nevin and claimed he suffered two broken arms and had to wear a cast as a result of being hurt during his arrest.
However, the court heard he was seen by a doctor when taken to a garda station, and he did not provide medical evidence to support his claim.
Convicting him of the assault, Judge John Hughes said he did not accept his evidence. He described the incident as serious, adding that travel was stressful at the best of times and Laurenouies’s holiday plans turned into a nightmare.
Prosecuting Garda Emmet O’Byrne said the accused spent most of the night of his arrest in station custody after repeatedly refusing to sign a bail bond. The Latvian national had lived and worked in Ireland for 20 years and had no prior criminal convictions.
Sergejs Laurenouies, 38, of Ballytrasna, Ballycullane, Wexford, was handed a six-month suspended sentence following his hearing at Dublin District Court. Judge Hughes also fined father of two Laurenouies €1,000 and ordered him to pay €1,000 compensation to Dublin Airport Police officer Barry Nevin.
Judge Hughes also directed that he could not board any flight from Ireland unless sober and presented himself to airport officials four hours before departure.
Following legal submissions from defence solicitor Michael French, the accused was cleared of a connected charge for being intoxicated to the extent he was a danger to himself and others on the plane. The judge set recognizance bail at €500 in the event of an appeal.
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