December 16, 2005

... working the control yoke with his toes

The Fellowship of the Predicative Adjunct welcomes another journalistic gem to its collection. This one is from an article in The Sun:

And despite being restrained with plastic handcuffs, the pilot decided he had no choice but to divert the 777 jet to Bermuda.

The headline reads "Mile high fight club pair", and the context (from the start of the article) is

A COUPLE caught bonking in the loo of a holiday jet forced the captain to make an emergency landing after they flew into a drunken rage.

Stunned passengers watched in horror as the randy couple attacked cabin crew after being told to return to their seats.
They shouted abuse and spat as they grappled with the British Airways staff who forced them back into their business class seats.

And despite being restrained with plastic handcuffs, the pilot decided he had no choice but to divert the 777 jet to Bermuda.

The article ends by telling us that

... the duo, of Luton, Beds, face being charged with air rage ...

Is there really such a crime in British law?

[Story first noted by Chuck at To Be Determined.]

Posted by Mark Liberman at December 16, 2005 06:03 PM