Football supporters' Ryanair Dublin flight disruption trial collapses
Four Croatian football supporters accused of a disturbance on a plane which delayed a Ryanair flight at Dublin Airport have walked free from court after the trial collapsed on Friday.
Marco Bajzec, 41, of Beechwood Park, Ballyboe, Glencar, Co Donegal, and Zvonimir Prkacin, 40, Luis Buic, 38, and Tomislav Zajec, 39, all of the same address at Confey, Leixlip, Co Kildare, were arrested on January 22nd.
Advertisement
The four had hoped to fly to London that morning for the Dinamo Zagreb versus Arsenal FC Champions League match at the Emirates Stadium that evening.
Instead, they were charged with offensive behaviour on the aircraft but were granted bail that afternoon and pleaded not guilty.
The four contested the case, which went to a non-jury hearing at Dublin District Court on Friday.
Judge Susan Fay heard evidence from a cabin crew member alleging that they boarded normally. But just before take-off, one stood, asking to use the toilet.
Advertisement
The court heard he was advised it was not possible at that time. The captain was notified that the unspecified passenger was on his feet at the back galley.
The plane could not take off, and he was advised several times, and that man was eventually given permission to use the toilet.
Then his friends also wanted to go to the toilet, with one allegedly saying, "If you don't let me go to the toilet, I can urinate at the back galley", the court heard.
The witness could not remember which of the four made that remark.
Advertisement
The captain was told they were not complying with the safety regulations, and it was not possible to proceed. A decision was made to offload them from the aircraft.
However, the defence made legal submissions about lawyers for the four men not being furnished with the prosecution's witness statement before the hearing.
The men's barristers opposed an adjournment, saying that one of the accused had been put on Ryanair's no-fly list, affecting his ability to travel.
Barristers applied for a dismissal.
Advertisement
Judge Susan Fay described the disclosure issue as a "genuine oversight".
She said the statement in question should have been disclosed, particularly where the issue had been ventilated before the hearing.
However, she refused to grant a full dismissal of the charges and struck out the case.
Ireland
Parents of 25 children given leave to legally chal...
Read More
At their first appearance in January, Garda Emmet O'Byrne and Conor O'Neill told Judge Kelly they arrested the men at 9:15 am at stand 107L in Terminal 1.
The four were brought to the airport and Ballymun Garda stations to be charged under the Air Navigation and Transport Act.
The judge noted that Mr Bajzec and Buic made no reply while Zvonimir Prkacin answered, "I feel sorry for the passengers on the flight and the staff; they were delayed because of us".
Mr Zajec stated to gardaí, "I have done nothing wrong"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Two Muslim 13-year-olds are jailed for raping girl, 12, because she was Jewish - hurling anti-Semitic insults and death threats throughout attack
Two Muslim teenagers, both 13, have been jailed for the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl, where they uttered 'death threats' and 'anti-Semitic remarks'. During a trial at a juvenile court in Nanterre, which took place behind closed doors, heard how the three boys approached the young girl near a park in northwest Paris on June 15, 2024. The 12-year-old investigators she was dragged into an abandoned building in La Défense, the financial district in Courbevoie, Paris where the suspects beat and 'forced' her to have sex 'while uttering death threats and anti-Semitic remarks'. She said the boys had called her a 'dirty Jew' and asked her questions about 'her Jewish religion' and Israel. The rape was filmed by one boy, and another threatened to kill the girl if she reported the ordeal to authorities, police sources said. Two boys were then indicted for 'gang rape, death threats, and insults and violence of an anti-Semitic nature', and have since been sentenced to nine and seven years behind bars. The presiding judge justified the harsh sentence against the two boys as being due to their 'worrying' personalities, 'the immense social disturbance' they caused to society, and the crime being committed on religious grounds. She undoubtedly 'would not have been raped if she had not been Jewish', the judge said. A third boy, who was also aged 12 at the time, was found guilty of being complicit in the crime but not sentenced to time behind bars due to the minimum age of criminal liability in France being 13. The court ordered that he be placed in the foster system and followed by professionals for five years. According to Bild, he had filmed the rape and sent it to the 12-year-old's boyfriend alongside the message: 'Look at your girlfriend.' According to Le Parisien, anti-Semitic images and messages were also found on the victim's phone by investigators. The attack shocked the Jewish community in France and was unanimously condemned by politicians. At the time, President Emmanuel Macron had denounced the 'scourge' of antisemitism. Several demonstrations in support of the victim were held in Paris and in Courbevoie as hundreds took to the streets to protest. Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping slightly to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry. Jewish groups have said that the number of such attacks rose sharply following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which was followed by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How one of football's hardest men was humbled after he found himself behind bars: 'I thought I was a man. I was a baby'
A former footballer who was renowned for his fiery character both on and off the pitch has revealed how he was humbled by a stretch in prison. The ex-player made over 250 Premier League appearances, earning a fierce reputation thanks to his love for a scrap. However, he took it one step too far back in 1994 as he became the first-ever British footballer to be jailed for an offence committed on the field. After headbutting an opponent, he was slapped with a 12-game ban and a three-month prison sentence. He revealed how he was brought back down to earth by having to serve a stint behind bars. The individual in question chillingly told BBC Sport: 'I thought I was a man. I've got everything boxed-off. I was just a baby.' That was none other than former Everton and Newcastle striker Duncan Ferguson, who was convicted for headbutting Raith Rovers player Jock McStay while playing for Rangers in a match in April 1994. Fast-forward over two decades later, and 'Big Dunc' has shared what life was like during his 44-day spell in HMP Barlinie - Scotland's largest prison - located in Riddrie, north-east Glasgow. After going inside at the age of 23, he shared concerns for his safety due to his high-profile status having played for Rangers, combined with his young age. The Scot said: 'It was like they were focusing on me. You're worried sick. You've got to face that in the morning. I never slept a wink all night. 'I was terrified. I'm going to walk out on this landing in the morning and you think someone's going to stick a knife in you.' That came after he had been involved in a string of previous altercations, including a fight in Anstruther, a town located nine miles from St. Andrews. Previously, he had been slapped with a £100 fine for headbutting a policeman and fined a further £200 for punching and kicking a supporter who was on crutches. Speaking to Mail Sport last month, the ex-Toffees hardman said he was reduced to a trembling ball of anxiety during his prison stint. The 53-year-old stated: 'It became darker, and darker. Then there were the threats.' He heard threats from fellow inmates far and wide, enough to put fear into even the heart of Big Dunc himself. 'What cell is he in. I am going to cut that big dirty Orange b*****d. He's gonnae get cut tae f***.' Ferguson added: 'Half a dozen to 10 people were telling me I was going to get slashed in the morning. I was only 23, on my own. It was frightening. You think: "How has it come to this?" He has accepted that many of the tough situations he found himself in were down to an over-indulgence when it came to alcohol - a circumstance he has since rectified by being sober since 2008. Fortunately, given the stormy seas he navigated during his playing career and personal life, he is a battle-hardened sailor who lives to tell the tale of his voyages - just without a desire for a bottle of rum.
BreakingNews.ie
7 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Four males charged after couple (60s) threatened with firearm in Dublin
The four males, one aged in his 60s, one in his 20s, and two juvenile youths, who were arrested in connection with aggravated burglary at a residence in Shanganagh Cliffs, Shankill, Co Dublin, on Wednesday, have since been charged. During the course of the aggravated burglary, four individuals entered the home of a couple in their 60s and assaulted and threatened the couple with a firearm. Advertisement The four individuals left the scene in a vehicle and an electric bike. The owner of the home, a man in his 60s, was removed from the scene to St Vincent's University Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Gardaí immediately responded to the incident and a search of the area took place by gardaí attached to Shankill Garda station. Gardaí arrested three individuals when they stopped a vehicle and a fourth individual was arrested a short distance away who was on a electric bike. During the course of the search of the area a semi-automatic firearm was recovered. All four are due to appear before Dublin District Court at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Saturday.
