Carlisle man jailed for swigging gin and causing chaos on flight to UK
Mohammed Koyes has been jailed for four months
A Carlisle-based man who shouted and swore at cabin staff and fellow passengers while drunk on board a long haul flight to the UK has been jailed by a judge who insisted the sentence must serve as a deterrent to others.
Mohammed Koyes, aged 58, of London Road, knocked back up to five-sixths of a one-litre bottle of gin while travelling on a Boeing service between Bangladesh and Heathrow, 20th October, 2021.
Carlisle Crown Court heard Koyes had brought the duty free-bought spirit aboard a “dry” flight on which alcohol was not being served. “He was unsteady, stumbling around into other passengers, swearing and shouting while swigging from the bottle,” said Brendan Burke, prosecuting. “He was eventually controlled by other passengers.”
Koyes was not brought to court until April this year, when he pleaded guilty to a charge of being drunk on an aircraft.
The sentencing judge at a crown court hearing today (fri), Recorder Philip Grundy, gave additional details about the offence.
“You clearly brought that drink on board and consumed it,” said Recorder Grundy. “After the first meals were served, you began shouting and swearing and being rude and abusive to air crew and other passengers.”
At one stage Koyes used the word “motherf*s”.
“Your behaviour continued causing alarm and distress to passengers as they were asking the staff to move away from you,” the judge continued. “You were clearly unsteady on your feet and, en route to use the toilet, stumbled on top of a passenger. All attempts to calm you failed and you were clearly seen on many occasions to draw out of the bottle of alcohol.
“Ultimately you had to be restrained. Fortunately the flight did not have to be diverted.”
Koyes later spoke of sharing the bottle with another male, who had never been identified.
Defence barrister Chris Knox, mitigating, said Koyes had not been able to provide a clear picture of events on the aircraft. “His recollection of the facts is not very good,” said Mr Knox.
Koyes had previously been based in the Bradford area. He was separated from his family and had relocated to Carlisle. He was unaware of the prosecution until an unrelated call was made to Cumbria police and this flagged up a warrant, the court heard. “There is a lot of time that has passed. He is of good character,” added Mr Knox.
A recent change to court sentencing guidelines states that any prison sentence of 12 months or less must be suspended unless a judge concludes there are exceptional circumstances.
And Recorder Grundy did reach such a conclusion, imposing an immediate four-month jail term.
“Offences of being drunk on an aircraft will always require appropriate and fitting punishment, especially to deter others,” said the judge. “The appearance of a drunken person in the confines of an aircraft is terrifying and poses a risk to safety.”