Drunk off-shore worker abused cabin crew on Edinburgh-bound flight and used vape and mobile phone

Kevin Devine downed drinks at an Italian airport and on board a flight to Edinburgh before acting aggressively towards air stewards after learning his long term partner was leaving him.

The oil and gas worker shouted and swore, refused to fasten his seatbelt when requested to and made a telephone call during the flight from Catania, Sicily to Edinburgh Airport.

He also repeatedly gesticulated and adopted an aggressive demeanour towards three members of the cabin crew while on board the easyJet aircraft on September 27 last year.

Shocked staff were forced to alert the police to Devine’s rowdy behaviour and after landing at the Scottish capital officers boarded the plane and arrested the drunk 52-year-old.

Devine pleaded guilty to three offences under The Air Navigation Order and Civil Aviation Act when his case called at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and sentence was deferred to last Thursday, June 19.

The court was told Devine, from Dundee, had been excused attendance at the hearing as he is currently out of the country for several months working off-shore with the oilfield services company Saipem.

Kevin Devine from Dundee downed drinks at an Italian airport and on board a flight to Edinburgh before acting aggressively towards air stewards. | Alexander Lawrie

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Sheriff Thomas Welsh agreed to deal with the matter in his absence and sentenced the North Sea quality control co-ordinator to pay a total fine of £1475 to mark the offences.

Devine, who also owns the real estate firm Devine Property Holdings Ltd, had been returning home after several weeks away when the ship he had been working on dropped him off at Sicily.

While waiting on his flight at the island’s Catania Airport the father of two telephoned his partner who told him she was leaving him and didn’t want to see him on his return to Scotland.

He was said to have become upset and began drinking alcohol in the airport lounge before continuing to down drinks while travelling home onboard the easyJet flight.

The off-shore engineer then became aggressive towards cabin crew after they warned him to stop using his vape and not to make telephone calls during the flight. Devine refused instructions to secure his seatbelt on take off and landing and shouted and swore at cabin crew members Colin Robinson, Lauren Hannah and Demi Gardner.

A passenger who witnessed the drunken outburst said Devine had been “a complete nightmare” during the flight.

They said: “The guy didn’t seem too drunk when we took off but he began drinking during the flight and soon became abusive towards the crew. He was using his vape on a good few occasions, which was a complete disregard for all the other passengers, and was also on his phone to someone.

“He seemed quite upset about something and was shouting and swearing at the easyJet staff who had politely asked him to stop. The crew tried to take the vape off him but he wouldn’t hand it over and they just didn’t have any choice but to inform the police about his behaviour.

“He totally deserved to be arrested when we landed in Edinburgh and to be honest he was a complete nightmare during the flight.”

Devine pleaded guilty to charges of being drunk on board the flight and failing to obey commands issued by the pilot and cabin crew, refuse to secure his seatbelt, make a telephone call and use a vape on board the aircraft, and refusing to hand over the vape to the crew.

He also admitted to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and acting aggressively, all while on board the easyJet flight between Catania, Sicily, and Edinburgh Airport on September 27 last year.