A routine nine-hour TUI flight to Cuba descended into chaos in August 2022 after 36-year-old UK woman Zoe Alexander became violent on board, leaving cabin crew and fellow passengers terrified.
Alexander requested a drink to “knock her out” shortly after takeoff, but turned aggressive once the liquor hit her system.
A flight attendant was punched and bitten as the situation spiraled, forcing staff to use restraining equipment on her.
Highlights
- Zoe Alexander’s drunken outburst left passengers and cabin crew terrified during a nine-hour flight in 2022.
- During her trial, Alexander’s lawyer argued that she had been struggling with mental health issues.
- The judge opted for a suspended sentence after considering the defence’s arguments.
Alexander was sentenced by the Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday, May 13, following a trial that began in March.
A British woman’s boozy mid-air meltdown turned a budget TUI flight into a terrifying ordeal for passengers and crew
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Alexander, a mom to a one-year-old son, troubled crew members and fellow passengers for 90 minutes, per The Mirror.
After being granted drinks on request on her flight, she reportedly began “talking loudly, slurring her words, and being overly familiar with passengers and cabin crew.”
She proceeded to sway from one aisle to another and, after being told not to enter the premium areas by a female crew member, she called her a “f**king b**ch c**t.”
Blaise Morris, the prosecutor in the case, said she was “generally rude and ab**ive” on the flight nearly four years ago.
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One woman traveling with her husband became so concerned for their children that she called for assistance.
A member of the crew who arrived on the scene was able to “calm down” Alexander, but she soon returned to being aggressive.
Alexander went on to “sprawl” over other passengers, and she “flew into a rage” when a cabin crew member suggested she sit up and watch a film.
The court was told she became “increasingly aggressive,” “wagged her finger” in the crew member’s face, and refused to comply with instructions.
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This was when crew member Gerard Taylor brought the rarely used “restraining kit” and attempted to ask her to let him confine her. Alexander resisted.
Morris said she caused “huge disruption and anxiety” during the flight and also tried to light a ciga**tte.
She pulled off the tie of a cabin crew member and proceeded to punch him in the stomach.
As Taylor tightened a pair of handcuffs on Alexander, he was punched and bitten on the hand.
A passenger named Graham Murphy, who was assisting, was told, “I hope bad things happen to your children. I hope they d**,” by Alexander.
Victim impact statements were read during Zoe Alexander’s trial
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In their recollection of their altercation with Alexander, the flight crew said they had “never experienced” such treatment.
One said it was “the most frightening incident” she had experienced in her 30 years as a flight attendant.
Mr. Murphy said Alexander “truly traumatized” him and his family.
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Alexander had initially denied charges of being drunk on an aircraft and three counts of attacking others, but changed her plea to guilty on the first day of her trial.
The court determined she has no previous convictions but does have two cautions for theft and criminal damage.
Her lawyer, Eleanor Gleeson, said she had suffered mental health issues, including emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), but accepted that liquor was a factor in the incident.
Gleeson said Alexander was “horrified” by her behavior and “recognizes the significant impact it had on her victims that day.”
She pleaded for the judge to impose a suspended sentence — which allows a person to avoid immediate jail time as long as they do not commit another offense or breach court conditions during a set period — saying she is the sole carer for her toddler.
Gleeson also said Alexander cares for her father.
The judge considered these arguments and granted Alexander a suspended sentence
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Judge Paul Mason told Alexander that she had behaved in an “inexcusable, obnoxious, and aggressive” manner and said that, in previous similar cases, defendants were sent to prison.
“You were out of control, erratic, unpredictable, and a danger to the other 300 passengers in the confined space of an aircraft,” the judge added.
He said he considered a “deterrent” custodial sentence but recognized the impact it would have.
He ultimately imposed a five-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
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Alexander has been banned from traveling out of the UK for 12 months.
She was also ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation days and comply with a 90-day sobriety requirement.
She will also be required to pay $100 (£75) compensation to each of her victims.
Alexander left the court happy with her father, who had watched from the public gallery, according to The Mirror.
"She got off easy," a netizen opined
