A United Airlines passenger’s attempt to calm his nerves became a legal issue as he ended up urinating in his seat and aisle. 34-year-old American climate research analyst Zachary Greear ended up getting a two-month suspended sentence by the Dublin district court for his disruptive behavior on the transatlantic flight from Amsterdam to New York after he mixed Xanax with alcohol to beat his anxiety.
Greear pleaded guilty to three offences under Ireland’s Air Navigation and Transport Act: intoxication, threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, and causing annoyance onboard an aircraft, as reported by the Guardian.
The court heard that during the flight, Greear became highly intoxicated and urinated in his seat and in the aisle, causing the captain to make the decision to divert the plane to Dublin, dumping €30,000 worth of fuel.
Greear’s solicitor, Eoghan O’Sullivan, said his client was “horrified and embarrassed” by his behaviour and had offered a “most sincere apology”. The judge suspended the jail sentence for two years, describing Greear’s behaviour as “appalling”, but noted his written apology and compliance with an order to pay €10,000 for damages he caused.
At Monday’s hearing, O’Sullivan indicated his client’s willingness to compensate for the diversion costs, initially offering $5,000.
The judge deemed this amount insufficient and demanded double the sum, emphasising the serious impact on flight crew, passengers, and airline operations. “Can you imagine the fear and trauma he caused to a pilot who is trying to manage people safely on his aircraft, to passengers, to employees of the airline who have to dump fuel and turn around a flight and land in a jurisdiction they never expected to be in?” the judge questioned.
The Garda (national police force of Ireland) stated that on arrest, Greear “couldn’t understand where he was” due to his level of intoxication but had since apologised. He had no previous convictions.
