Bloke on Jet2 plane jailed for being so drunk he couldn’t open his bag
A former restaurant manager was so hammered on a Jet2 flight that he he could not open his bag for his passport.
Ali Ozdemir was in such a drunken state that he threw up over himself as he slumped in his seat heading to Birmingham Airport from Turkey on October 19 last year.
Police had been called to the gate on landing to arrest the 49-year-old from Stirchley, West Midlands, who has now been jailed for three months. He had previously admitted being drunk on an aircraft.
Ozdemir blamed his reaction to a couple of glasses of wine at the airport in Turkey on an upset stomach and the stress of going through a divorce.
Judge Simon Drew QC told Birmingham Crown Court that despite not harming anybody else on the plane, being drunk presents a "serious risk" to crew and fellow passengers.
He said: "The defendant had vomited on himself and on aircraft seats on the airplane. He was removed from the aircraft. He was observed to have been slumped on his seat, smelt of vomit and liquor and had red eyes."
In passing sentence, Judge Simon Drew QC said: "On October 19 last year it is perfectly clear from witness statements that you were very drunk, even when you got on the plane, but how drunk it is impossible for me to know.
"It was noticeable to the passengers on the plane and very quickly became noticeable to the stewards and stewardesses and cabin crew who saw that you were slumped on your seat and that you had vomited not only on yourself but the adjacent seats.
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"You were on a lengthy flight from Turkey back to this country. When asked for your passport you were simply unable to produce that from your bag which revealed the state that you were in.
"You did not offer any aggression to anybody on the plane nor is it the case that you were rude to them. The fact is that people who are drunk on an aircraft present a serious risk to anyone on the aircraft.
"There is always the danger that because of your drunken state that your behaviour will become out of control and endanger the lives of those on the aircraft because of it who can not get away."
Syed Ahmed, defending, said Ozdemir's behaviour had not caused any concern, he had not been aggressive and nobody had been obliged to move seats. He said his head had been resting against the window and he had fallen asleep.
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Mr Ahmed said the defendant made regular trips to Turkey and on this occasion had been to an engagement party. He said he believed that some of what happened on the aircraft was due to an upset stomach and that he had also been under stress as a result of getting divorced.
Ozdemir, he said, had two glasses of wine at the airport. He added: "He was remorseful from the outset and has no previous convictions.
"He is a divorcee and was the manager at Cielo in Brindley Place which has recently shut down." Mr Ahmed said Ozdemir was currently unemployed but looking for work in the catering industry.
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