An EasyJet customer has been charged with a string of offences after an alleged attack on board a plane in Egypt.
Nadine Nugent, from Belfast, has been charged with seven offences alleged to have taken place on May 21.
They include three charges of common assault in addition to single counts of making a threat to kill, failing to comply with the lawful command of the pilot, behaving in a threatening, abusive or insulting manner and being drunk on an aircraft.
The alleged incident happened on easyJet flight EZY3077 from Belfast International Airport to Hurghada, Egypt.
Ms Nugent is accused of physically attacking three individuals, two female passengers and one male, while the plane was sitting on the tarmac.
The court heard the 35-year-old “failed to obey a lawful command” from the pilot intended to ensure aircraft safety and protect passengers and property.
Further details surrounding the alleged assaults were not disclosed during Tuesday’s hearing at Antrim Magistrates Court, which convened in Ballymena.
The accused was absent from the proceedings.
An EasyJet flight was plunged into chaos as a woman was charged with an ‘air rage’ attack
|
GETTY
Legal complexities have emerged regarding the court’s authority over the alleged offences, with defence barrister Chris Sherrard highlighting the incidents predominantly took place whilst the aircraft remained stationary at Hurghada airport.
“Territorial issues arise,” Mr Sherrard told the court, noting that questions exist about whether the aircraft falls under British jurisdiction.
The case involves considerations under the Tokyo Convention, a 1963 international agreement that governs criminal jurisdiction aboard civilian aircraft.
This treaty grants aircraft commanders authority to address offenders and obliges participating nations to assert legal control over crimes committed on their registered planes, ensuring such incidents face prosecution regardless of location.
The accused faces three counts of common assault among a litany of other charges
|
GETTYThe defence confirmed Ms Nugent intends to dispute all allegations, with Mr Sherrard stating he was “advised none of the matters are accepted”.
He disclosed that his client has been suspended from her social work position since 2023, although he clarified this was due to unrelated matters.
Prosecutors indicated no witness agreements would be reached before trial.
District Judge Nigel Broderick scheduled the next hearing for December 9, when a date will be fixed for what was described as a “five plus one” contested trial.
It comes as transatlantic flight from Heathrow to Washington DC was forced to make an emergency stop in Ireland
|
GETTY
The proceedings come as a transatlantic flight from London to Washington DC was forced to make an emergency stop in Ireland after a laptop became wedged beside a business-class seat.
The Boeing 767-400 operating as Flight UA925 departed Heathrow for Washington Dulles International Airport but changed course approximately two hours into the journey.
The unplanned landing in Dublin became necessary when the device slipped between the seat and the aircraft wall, where it remained inaccessible to the cabin crew.
Fruitless attempts to retrieve the trapped laptop forced precautionary measures due to the gadget’s internal lithium-ion battery presenting a fire hazard.