A 30-year-old woman who assaulted a flight attendant on board a Continental Airlines flight to Shannon yesterday was given a suspended prison sentence and fined after she appeared in court in Co Clare.
Claribel Delgado, a waitress with an address at Broom Street, New York, faced two charges of behaviour likely to cause serious offence or annoyance to any person on board and assaulting a member of the crew.
Delgado pleaded guilty to both offences.
She was arrested at Shannon airport shortly after 8 a.m. yesterday and taken to Shannon Garda Station where she was questioned and charged.
Gardaí were notified at 7.50 a.m. yesterday that a passenger had become unruly on board the Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Shannon airport and that assistance would be required.
Continental Airlines' international services manager Ms Jean McElhany gave evidence that she was one of 10 cabin crew members on board Continental flight 24 from Newark in New Jersey to Shannon.
She said about two hours before landing, passengers had complained about a woman who was swearing and belligerent.
Ms McElhany's statement read out earlier in court said Delgado was "standing and uncontrollable". When she was sitting "she was kicking the seat in front of her".
"Passengers were terrified and had to be moved to other seats", she said. "She also punched me in the shoulder and had to be restrained with leg restraints".
"She was wailing and flailing her arms", Ms McElhany said. "We have been trained to be wary of distractions on board flights", she told the court.
Two male attendants were forced to restrain the woman and had to use seatbelt extensions to secure her ankles. The accused fell asleep 10 minutes later. A male flight attendant had to stay with here for the rest of the flight.
Flight attendant Stacy Woods went to Delgado's assistance. "I offered her a glass of water and she began cursing me. She threw the water which hit a passenger behind. Then she hit my hand."
Delgado's solicitor, Ms Tara Godfrey, told the court that her client had three drinks before she boarded the flight and was very sorry for what had happened.
She said Delgado has "little or no memory of the incident".
Judge Leo Malone fined the accused €500 on the assault charge and imposed a prison sentence of five months, which he suspended.
