A MAN has been hit with a $4000 fine for saying there was a bomb on a Cairns-bound plane so fellow passengers would "move a little quicker".
Cairns man Noel Marama, 26, was on a Jetstar plane from Brisbane on Sunday when he started to get impatient about the time it was taking to disembark at Cairns airport.He became aggressive and said to nearby passengers “there is a bomb on the plane”.
Yesterday in Cairns Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to the federal charge of making a threat and false statement.
Commonwealth prosecutor Greg Williams said a Jetstar employee was approached by six passengers concerned about Marama’s behaviour. Mr Williams said Federal Police interviewed the defendant at the airport and he admitted the allegations against him were true.
“I just said that there was a bomb on the plane,” Marama told police, according to Mr Williams.
“I said about the bomb to make them get off faster.”
Defence solicitor Richard O’Shane said Marama’s statement was intended as a joke.
“He simply said those words to get the passengers to move a little quicker,” he said.
Magistrate Allan Comans said Marama’s actions were “completely irresponsible”.
“People panic, and they panic for good reason in this day and age,” he said.
He fined the defendant $4000 and recorded a conviction.
Meanwhile, a Japanese tourist appeared in court yesterday charged with behaving in a disorderly and offensive matter on an aircraft.
Yoshiki Hasui, 42, was flying into Cairns from Osaka on Jetstar flight JQ16 on Thursday night when he became abusive to a female flight attendant.
Hasui, who cannot speak English, had a friend act as interpreter.
Through the interpreter, he claimed he never pushed the attendant.
Magistrate Comans fined Hasui $1000 and ordered he pay the money before flying back to Japan on Thursday.
