East Midlands bomb 'joke' woman jailed
08.02.08
An 'obnoxious' air passenger who told an air hostess there was a bomb in her bag has been jailed for 12 months. Ann Hassell later claimed it was a drunken joke - but her claim sparked an emergency response by police and firefighters when the aircraft landed at East Midlands Airport . The plane had to be directed to a remote part of the airport while the matter was investigated.
Leicester Crown Court was told that Ms. Hassell, 34, and her companions were noisy, rude and demanding towards cabin crew throughout the flight from Crete on June 26 last year. When a stewardess picked up Hassell's handbag from her feet to put it in an overhead locker ready for landing, Hassell told her: 'I'd be careful with that there's a bomb in it.'
The comment was followed by sniggering, but the young air hostess, who had only been in her job for two months, was unsure what to do about the claim. She told a senior steward, who notified the pilot.
Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said the pilot asked the crew to check if it was a joke and search the bag. When spoken to, Ms. Hassell said it was a joke but, as the bag was searched, her companion said 'bang' and 'tick, tick, tick', and Ms. Hassell continued being loud and abusive, telling the crew: 'I'm going to get you for this. It was only a joke.'
After landing, Ms. Hassell was taken off the plane and other passengers were delayed by half an hour. In interview she said: 'It was a stupid comment.'
Judge Simon Hammond said: 'It was also very stressful for the captain who had the responsibility for the crew and his passengers. We live in a time of national anxiety and stress about terrorism. I certainly don't understand what the joke was.'
'It's a topical issue about people misbehaving on planes. This one was full of holidaymakers, including children - and for some, flying is a very nerve-wracking experience. If people make these sort of remarks they must be punished and there must be an element of deterrence.'
Ms. Hassell, of Kirkby Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, wept throughout yesterday's hearing. She pleaded guilty to interference with the performance of an aircraft crew member. The court heard she had been released from jail six months before the incident, from a four-year jail sentence for drugs offences and burglary. She also had previous convictions for offences of violence.
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