Source : Perth Now news
The Australian daughter of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who admitted to drinking from a bottle of alcohol smuggled on-board and disrupting a Jetstar flight to Sydney, has escaped with a $800 fine.
Analisa Josefa Corr, 53, and partner James Alexander Corr, 45, were sentenced in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Monday for their actions on-board a Hobart-to-Sydney flight that prompted airline staff to ask the Australian Federal Police for assistance.
The couple on Monday admitted to drinking alcohol they brought aboard flight JQ720 on December 28 last year and Ms Corr also pleaded guilty to acting in a disorderly manner.
The court was told that she only had one sip from a bottle she and her husband had brought on the flight, and at the time she had also consumed painkillers – Panadeine Forte – for broken ribs.
The court was told that Ms Corr was taken into custody on the tarmac after the couple were met by AFP officers.
In January, they pleaded not guilty to all charges.
But in court on Monday, Ms Corr pleaded guilty to one count of consuming alcohol not provided by cabin crew and behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner affecting safety.
Prosecutors withdrew one count of assault and one count of not complying with the cabin crew’s safety instructions.
Mr Corr pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol not provided by crew, while another charge of not complying with the cabin crew’s safety instructions was withdrawn.
Their lawyers asked magistrate Rosheehan O’Meagher not to record a conviction because it would affect their ability to travel internationally for work.
The couple had been in Indonesia, developing an app to assist sailors, the court was told.
Ms O’Meagher described their actions as out of character and noted they were remorseful.
“On the flip side to that, this is a serious matter, it is a fairly prevalent offence. Because people become intoxicated on planes, it causes problems, it causes havoc,” she said.
Ms O’Meagher also told the couple that she had to “send a message to the community.”
Both were convicted and Ms Corr was fined $800 and Mr Corr was fined $400.
Outside court on Monday, Ms Corr’s solicitor Jasmina Ceic said both would be lodging an appeal.
More to come
