Dumped Student Becomes Drunk, Violent on Flight

Extreme angry man shouting at the phone

A recently dumped college student became intoxicated and violent on a British Airways flight from London to Texas last month, reports Mirror.co.uk. Jeffrey ‘Tanner’ Libby was verbally and then physically abusive to staff and passengers, resulting in the diversion of the Texas-bound flight and jail time for Libby.

A broken heart was behind the violent, drunken outburst of a British Airways passenger on a Texas-bound flight from London last month, reports Mirror.co.uk. The incident, which involved college student Jeffrey ‘Tanner’ Libby, resulted in the flight being diverted and, for Libby himself, a jail sentence.

According to the outlet, Libby began drinking from a bottle of liquor after his flight hit a sudden patch of turbulence just after departing from London on December 17, 2018. According to court testimony, Libby soon began to become verbally disruptive, raising the volume of his voice and swearing.

His behavior soon turned violent and Libby started to kick and punch the seatback of the passenger in front of him. He was asked by members of the plane’s crew to calm down, but, as prosecutor Olu Phillips described to Isleworth Crown Court, Libby then began to become physically aggressive.

“He reached across the aisle to a female passenger, grabbing her by the arm and squeezing it,” he said. More members of crew attempted to restrain Libby, with a passenger named as Stephen Mumford also offering assistance. He was also bitten by Libby.

The outlet reports that Libby next became physically aggressive with Samantha Jackson, a member of the flight’s cabin crew. At this point, the pilot made the decision to divert the flight and return to London.

It was revealed in court that, just prior to his outburst, Libby had been dumped by his girlfriend.

Offering his comments on the student’s behavior – with Libby present in the courtroom via videolink – Judge Robin Johnson said, “Whether you were drunk when you boarded the plane or you became drunk doesn’t matter … On top of that, those who behave in a drunk fashion, not only are they dangerous, they frighten a lot of people.”

“Against your personal mitigation it is my duty to state unequivocally that this behavior can not be tolerated. You assaulted a woman for no reason at all,” he added.

The student has pleaded guilty to a count of intoxication on an aircraft plus three counts of assault.

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