A drunk mum accidentally dropped her baby on the floor as she and her boyfriend were being thrown off a holiday jet following a five-hour vodka binge.
Nurse Beth Jones, 27, was so intoxicated after consuming duty-free spirts, the little girl slipped out of her hands as she was being passed to her across an aisle seat by Kieran Cunnah.
Flight attendants confronted the pair as they took their seats on the TUI flight - but Cunnah, 30, who was also drunk threw money at them and said: “How much do you want from us? We're poor. How much do you want b***h?”
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They were eventually escorted off the Crete bound flight as it was due to head out from Manchester Airport with 200 passengers on board.
It emerged the couple had been drinking heavily in the departures lounge after their flight was delayed. The child whose age is not known burst into tears when she was dropped but was uninjured in the incident.
At Tameside Magistrates court, Jones from Mossley and Cunnah, from Cheshire admitted being drunk on an aircraft and child neglect.
Jones, of Lees Road, was ordered to complete a 12-month community order, 20 rehabilitation activity days and a 90-day alcohol abstinence requirement and was further fined £50 with £195 in costs and a victim surcharge.
Cunnah, of Springfields, Mickle Trafford near Chester,. who is currently serving 32 months for unrelated offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, was jailed for an extra three months and was also made to pay the court £100 in costs and a £128 statutory surcharge.
Eileen Rodgers, prosecuting, said: “On Thursday May 12 last year, both defendants arrived at Manchester Airport at around midday for a flight to Crete at 3pm. They had arrived three hours before due to the current government guidance at that time, which warned of severe delays in security.
“They ended up passing through security quickly and entered the terminal 2 departure lounge where they then purchased a bottle of Ciroc vodka from the duty free.
''They had a meal and then went for drinks at the bar before departure - however, they then found their flight had been further delayed to 4.45pm and this meant their consumption was prolonged.
The pair decided to return to the departure lounge and finish off the bottle of Ciroc with mixers they had also bought from the duty free.
“When the pair later boarded the flight, a member of the cabin crew, noticed they were both very drunk. They were unsteady on their feet and incoherent, so she told the rest of the cabin crew to keep an eye on them whilst she took them to row 28.
“She approached Cunnah and asked to see his boarding pass to confirm who he was. However, he instead pulled out notes from his pocket and started throwing them at her, saying: “How much do you want from us? We're poor, how much do you want b***h?”
“She was aware of the nearly 200 other passengers on the flight and got in touch with the pilot who alerted the police and delayed takeoff. A dispatcher then arrived to tell them that they will not be flying due to their current intoxication.
“When leaving his middle seat, Cunnah was so intoxicated that he fell into the armrest in front of him. He then attempted to pass the baby to Jones, but she dropped her, causing her to fall off the seat and cry.
''After she was picked up and placed back on the aisle seat but was not placed securely. When leaving the aisle, Cunnah brushed past the baby and she again fell to the floor causing shock to her and those around her.”
“The pair continued to argue with the crew as they were escorted off the flight. Jones, who was incoherent and repeating herself, was eventually persuaded to hand over the baby to an attending police officer. They were then arrested and taken to a police station to sober up.
''They were interviewed the next day and both admitted they had been drinking. However, they both denied any abusive behavior or child neglect. They also said they did not intend to cause any harm or altercations with staff.
“Many people feel anxiety while flying and this kind of behaviour would only increase the anxiety the passengers may already have.”
In his statement, flight dispatch attendant, Brian Wilson said, “It was the worst situation I’ve ever had to deal with, not just because they were drunk on a flight but more because they were so incapable of looking after their own child.
”When I saw the child drop from the aisle seat, I went down to pick her up but then felt Cunnah's hand on my shoulder. They were very unsteady on their feet, Cunnah even grabbed me to steady himself at one point.
“When I instructed them that they could not fly on this service, Jones got loud and started to shout: “They’re not letting us fly, why are they not letting us fly.” When I went back to my office, I had to take 5/10 minutes to gather myself after what I had just dealt with.”
In mitigation for the couple defence lawyer Michelle Mann said: “The pair were excited to go on their first holiday after lockdown. When they got through security within ten minutes, they did behave responsibly and went for a family meal.
''But Mr Cunnah said all his family say ''The holiday starts here'' whenever they are in the departure lounge and so they went to the bar after.
''Miss Jones is a nervous flyer. The waiter came over to them and told them the bar was so busy they should order two drinks at a time. Mr Cunnah ordered two drinks in a row and Miss Jones ordered one. They then repeated the process.
“When they found the flight was delayed, they decided to go back to departures and finish the bottle of Ciroc vodka they had purchased from duty free with mixers. As it often does, the alcohol goes down quickly when in that state.
“They both realized their behaviour was completely out of order and were both upset that their holiday had been ruined. Miss Jones was hysterical upon arrest and had to contact her mother to collect her child.
“This incident has had a big impact on her life. She has since resigned from her job as a nurse where she worked for 10 years. She knows she can no longer pursue a career in that field. She was valued in her job and held herself in high esteem. This one incident has cost her dearly.”
“They are both ashamed and humiliated about what they did, and both have shown remorse.''
In sentencing, JPs told Jones: “It is a shame that you find yourself in this position when you had a career and a job you were valued and respected in and lost it all because of one stupid event. However, the protection of a child is very important, and we have taken this into consideration.”
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