A Ryanair passenger who locked himself in the toilet and shouted homophobic slurs at cabin crew after they took too long to bring him his sandwich has been handed a suspended sentence.
Dublin District Court today heard how Gerard Moorehouse, 45, delayed landing for several minutes and compromised the flight’s safety after he barricaded himself in a bathroom stall.
Moorehouse, who was found guilty of threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour on an aircraft, was given a three-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a €1,500 fine.
The father-of-two told the court he needed the bathroom due to bowel problems and claimed he was discriminated against by cabin crew for being a Traveller on the August 15 flight from London Gatwick to Dublin.
But the court heard how a ‘demanding’ Moorehouse, of Piercetown, Newbridge, Co Kildare, used the call bell multiple times before cabin crew were able to take his food order.
After being told his toastie would be a 10-15 minute wait, he reportedly became ‘aggressive and hostile’ and said to two cabin crew members, ‘are you gay?’.
One staff member told the court: ”I tried to reason with him but it didn’t work. He called us f****ts multiple times and told us to f**k off.
‘He verbally threatened me, saying there will be a fight if he does not get his sandwich now.’
After the seat-belt lights went on for landing, Moorehouse stood up and said. ‘I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes, I’m going to take a s**t’ and went into the toilet, as members of staff banged on the door and pleaded with him to take his seat.
He later told the court that he needed his sandwich because he was diabetic but got nothing while ‘guys in business suits were drinking Jack and Coke’.
Moorehouse added that he went to the bathroom due to bowel problems, saying that ‘I couldn’t poop on the floor’.
The incident resulted in the plane having to go around until Moorehouse went back to his seat.
He admitted to insulting a flight attendant but denied threatening him.
Ryanair has been approached for comment.
Moorehouse’s sentencing comes after it was reported last week that an Air Canada passenger is facing jail time after he squared up to an air hostess and hurled racial abuse at her when he was refused a cup of coffee.
Iranian-born Akbar Aghgaleh, who was on a flight from Montreal to London Heathrow on August 29 last year, allegedly confronted flight attendant Kaitlin Knights-Fullum with his ‘fists clenched in a fighting stance.’
Despite having been told that service had ended, the 61-year-old repeatedly yelled: ‘I need my f***ing coffee. Get me the f***ing supervisor. Oh you’re the f***ing supervisor.’
When told to calm down he shouted: ‘I am f***ing calm. I am f***ing calm. If we aren’t landing in five minutes I am going to sue your f***ing ass.’
Once the plane had landed, police boarded the aircraft to remove Aghgaleh.
Bodycam footage from the arrest, played in Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, showed Aghgaleh repeatedly shouting: ‘Gypsy Canada. Gypsy Canada. Gypsy Canadians,’ as he points his phone at passengers while escorted from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
When a police officer tells him to stop ‘mouthing off’, Aghgaleh said: ‘What do you want. I am British like you are.’
