Groom criticises stag weekenders after midair brawl causes flight diversion
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Version 0 of 1. A groom has condemned the actions of some members of his stag party who became involved in a midair brawl, causing the flight to be diverted. Joshua Mariner, 26, from Southampton, was travelling with 11 friends on a Ryanair flight from Luton to Bratislava, Slovakia, on Saturday, when the fracas broke out, causing the pilot to divert to Berlin in Germany. Six of the 12-member group were arrested by German police and charged with air safety offences, which carry a maximum fine of €25,000. In a statement released to the Southern Daily Echo, Mariner, a self-employed ceiling and partitions specialist, said: “The lads’ behaviour was unacceptable and they will now have to suffer the consequences of their actions. “It was reported by German police that I was one of the lads arrested, which isn’t true, and I will be seeking legal advice as it has caused a lot of distress for me and my family.” It has been reported that Mariner is due to marry his fiancee, Abi Whitmore, in March. Video footage obtained by the Sun shows a passenger standing, swearing and confronting another man, who is seated, before throwing a punch at him. The man standing is heard to say: “I’m not afraid of you, I swear on my mother’s life. You’ve done it now. Why shouldn’t I batter you in the face? I would rather stab you in the face with a fork. No disrespect to you, but I hate you.” Fellow passengers are seen to be upset by the fracas, with one woman holding a baby asking them to calm down. The video finishes as a member of the cabin crew asks the man recording the incident to stop filming. A German police spokesman said six men aged between 25 and 28 were detained and charged with offences under the Aviation Security Act. He said they could face civil action from the airline. The spokesman said the six men were released after police had established their identity. A police statement said: “Six young men behaved so badly that a pilot excluded them from a flight. This resulted in an unscheduled landing at Berlin Schonefeld and regulatory offence charges. Border police came aboard the plane and the offences were reported. “During the flight six of the 12 men posed a risk to the safety on board and ignored the instructions of the crew. The pilot of the plane, which carried 170 passengers, decided to perform an unscheduled landing at around 20.30. “At the airport, the intoxicated men from Southampton were met by border police. The police officers made regulatory offence charges according to air safety law against the 25- to 28-year-old men.” |