Oldham man who tried to open plane door jailed

Wednesday, 8 May 2019 07:00

A man, who terrorised cabin crew before trying to open the door of a plane, has been jailed.

Lynton Bryan, 34, of Fairway Road, Oldham pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of an aircraft and passengers after a flight to Turkey on Thursday 14 June 2018.

When the flight was due to take off from the runway Bryan got out of his seat and opened the overhead locker, telling cabin crew he was getting a sweet for a child.

Despite being warned numerous times, he proceeded to leave his seat before the flight was airborne.

In what was around a four-hour flight, Bryan became increasingly volatile, terrorising crew and passengers by following them around the plane, making aggressive gestures and shouting.

Greater Manchester Police said Bryan forcefully banged on the flight deck door, where the captain and first officer of the plane sit, before pulling at the assistance handle on the exit door frantically.

He was jailed for one year and 10 months at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

Detective Constable Brad Howarth of GMP’s Manchester Airport Team, said: “Bryan frightened not only the cabin crew who were simply doing their job and there to keep the rest of the passengers safe, but also frightened the holiday goers who should have been excited at the start of their trip.

“With the amount of witness accounts we were able to put to him in interview, he had little room to deny his vicious and repulsive actions.

“In a job like ours, you come across people who behave like Bryan on the street all too often but the way the crew dealt with him in the air and in the confines of a plane, while avoiding any physical harm coming to themselves or their passengers is truly commendable.

“However oblivious he seemed to be to the fright and alarm he was causing people on that flight, he now has time to think about that and nothing else as he remains firmly grounded for the next 22 months.”

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