A MAN who chased after his flight on the tarmac at Dublin Airport and attacked members of staff in order to gain access to the runway has been spared jail.
Patrick Kehoe caused momentary chaos at Dublin Airport in September last year after he stormed passed security to chase after his Ryanair flight at Terminal 1.
The 24-year-old from Co. Wexford had missed the last boarding call for his flight to Amsterdam, but attempted to flag down the plane as it was taxiing from the terminal.
He had to be tackled before he could reach the plane, and was later arrested by gardai.
It was later established that Kehoe was drunk.
He completed a three-month restorative justice services programme supervised by the Probation Service. However, a bench warrant had been issued in July when he did not turn up for a scheduled sentence hearing.
Dublin District CourtHis case reached its final destination today when he appeared again at Dublin District Court.
Kehoe pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting the Airport Police Service (APS) woman and a male aircraft ground handler who intervened as he ran after his flight which was getting ready to take off.
The court heard he attacked one of the staff by “pushing him and tripping him back onto the ground”. The APS woman then attempted to stop him, but he kicked her causing he to suffer a swollen knee.
By his own admission, Kehoe had "a few pints before the flight" which likely contributed to him missing the boarding call.
Pleading for leniency, Kehoe's solicitor explained that his client was due to fly to Amsterdam with his girlfriend, and hadn't been out of the country for many years.
He admitted to acting stupidly and impulsively and it emerged that he managed to get onto the tarmac through a door that was usually locked and secured.
