KUCHING: A man was fined RM5,000 or five months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here for behaving in a disorderly manner during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching.
Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali imposed the sentence on the 36-year-old Mohd Izzan Mohd Hashim after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the charge, Izzan committed the offence on April 22, at about 6:25 pm while on board a Batik Air flight OD1636 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, where he disrupted the cabin crew from performing their duties.
The offence was framed under Regulation 102 of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016 and punishable under Regulation 206(2)(a) of the same regulations, which provides for a fine of up to RM25,000 or imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
Based on the facts of the case, a Batik Air security officer was instructed to be on standby at Gate 5 of the Kuching International Airport following reports of an aggressive passenger on board the aircraft, which was scheduled to land at 6:50 pm.
Investigations revealed that the accused had acted aggressively during the flight including punching a passenger seated at 4A, spitting at a crew member, and causing a disturbance onboard.
It was understood that the accused was under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
His actions were deemed to have endangered the safety of other passengers and the aircraft.
He was later arrested at the Kuching International Airport police station at about 7:08 pm on the same day.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Muhammad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly.
Izzan was unrepresented.
