A man who was restrained mid-flight allegedly kicked at the cabin manager and attempted to bite another passenger’s arm while being subdued.
Incident on Canberra to Perth Flight
John Taskovski is accused of behaving in a disorderly manner by shouting, swearing and ignoring safety instructions from airline crew during a flight from Canberra to Perth on April 16.
Australian Federal Police allege the 45-year-old Queanbeyan man also kicked and pushed the seat in front of him, and allegedly became aggressive towards the woman whose seat it was when she asked him to stop.
Restraint and Charges
The captain of the flight authorised cabin crew to restrain the man after being informed of Mr Taskovski’s erratic behaviour. That was when he allegedly kicked out at the cabin manager and tried to bite the arm of another passenger who was helping.
AFP officers boarded the plane when it landed in Perth and removed Mr Taskovski from the flight. He was charged with one count each of behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner endangering safety on an aircraft, assaulting crew members of an aircraft, and failure to comply with a safety instruction given by a cabin crew member.
In his second appearance at Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, Mr Taskovski was granted a bail variation. He will next appear in court on June 12.
AFP Warning on Airborne Behaviour
AFP Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said antisocial or aggressive behaviour risked the safety of others, and could be particularly concerning in the confines of a plane during flight.
“Being in the air does not give anyone a free pass from the law and consequences on the ground,” A/Supt Brindal said. “The AFP works closely with airlines to ensure the safe travel of people across Australia and will put people before the courts if they are accused of breaking the law.”
