Drunk woman fined for cursing on plane

A British woman who hurled expletives at the crew during a drunken tirade on a flight to Jamaica, was fined and given a severe scolding when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Monday.

Gemma Anderson, a 37-year-old aesthetician of London, England, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 51.A.2 of the Civil Aviation Regulations of 2012, which stipulates that no person shall behave in a threatening, insulting, disorderly, or abusive manner toward a crew member.

The court was told that on April 6, the investigating officer received information that a Virgin Atlantic flight had just arrived at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, from London, and that a passenger was drunk and behaving in a disorderly manner. A subsequent interview with the flight captain revealed that Anderson began behaving boisterously and used expletives after personnel refused to serve her more alcohol.

Anderson was subsequently taken into police custody, arrested and charged.

'Got carried away'

Anderson's lawyer, Maurice McCurdy, told presiding Parish Court Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce that the Briton was travelling to Jamaica for holiday.

"This is her first time in Jamaica, and she indulged herself on the plane with her best friend and she got carried away. She is very remorseful of what happened, and she takes full responsibility," said McCurdy.

However, the unimpressed Judge Grant-Pryce chided Anderson for her reckless actions.

"I am seeing a reoccurrence of these matters way too often, especially with these passengers coming from England. What is it that we fail to understand? Bad behaviour induced by alcohol does not make the crime any less," said Grant-Pryce.

"You are very lucky to be landed in Jamaica, as usually we would send back persons on the same flight they came in on," Grant-Pryce added, before ordering Anderson to pay a fine of $10,000 or spend 10 days behind bars.