A drunk plumber who hurled abuse at British Airways staff heading for Las Vegas has been fined more than £3,000. Emmet Moynihan, 31, insisted on using the toilet as the plane remained grounded at Heathrow due to delays on August 6. Footage shows the Irishman, who was heading stateside for a stag do, being repeatedly told by a female steward to return to his seat. He responded by saying, 'This is a f**king joke,' Abigail Day, prosecuting, told Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, adding that Moynihan 'was clearly drunk'.‘A passenger had also noticed he smelled of alcohol,' she said, adding that passengers began filming him.'He was heard shouting: “Stop f***ing filming me,' Ms Day told the court, adding that he had to be spoken to by the co-pilot 'at one point'. Despite repeated warnings, he continued to hurl 'abuse' at staff and passengers, of which there were 331 onboard the BA275 flight. The aircraft was eventually forced to abandon its take-off and head back to the terminal, after which armed officers escorted Moynihan away. Emmet Moynihan, 31, insisted on using the toilet as the plane remained grounded at Heathrow due to delays on August 6 The aircraft was eventually forced to abandon its take-off and head back to the terminal, after which armed officers escorted Moynihan awayThe 31-year-old of Mount Vernon, Cork, appeared in court today wearing dark jeans and a grey hoodie. He admitted to being drunk on an aircraft and disobeying the orders of the captain.Paul Turnbull, mitigating, said the defendant was 'of good character up to today' and did a full comment interview where he admitted to his crimes.'At the end of the interview he did say he was ashamed,' he said. Mr Turnbull added that Moynihan was part of a stag-do heading for Las Vegas. Moynihan had begun drinking with the group while they were still in Cork City, and 'free alcohol flowed' during the flight's initial delay, the defence said. ‘On the flight, the defendant was aware of a further short delay and wished to use the toilet, which is why he was up and about,' he said.Mr Turnbull said filming by other passengers ‘aggravated’ the situation, with the clip having since amassed 6 million views on social media.He said Moynihan has faced 'significant' shame since the video went viral as he lives in a ‘close-knit community’.Sentencing, magistrate Mrs Joseph JP described the offence as 'very, very serious'.She added the only reason it would not go before the Crown Court is that the plane was still grounded 'and therefore passengers could have been evacuated'.‘However, had they been in the air, it would have been a completely different matter,' she said.Moynihan was handed a £3,199 fine, which included a fine of £2,224, £890 surcharge and £85 costs‘One hopes that this will not ever happen again, your visits to AA clearly indicate [you have] accepted you have an alcohol problem,' she added.‘It is not something we ever want to see again.’A spokesperson for British Airways earlier said: ‘Disruptive or abusive behaviour is never tolerated on board and the safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.‘When these incidents occur, the appropriate action will always be taken.’
Drunk plumber on flight to Vegas fined £3k after toilet row with crew
Emmet Moynihan, 31, insisted on using the toilet as the plane remained grounded at Heathrow due to delays on August 6.






