‘No way to escape’: Ireland man sentenced for disrupting Dublin-to-Seattle flight

A Northern Ireland resident who disrupted an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Seattle on June 19 was sentenced Wednesday.

James Bradley Noble, 35, spent roughly 10 days in King County Jail and Federal Detention Center (FDC) after he disrupted the flight, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Noble was on home detention with electronic monitoring at a rented residence in Seattle since he was released from FDC.

U.S. District Judge Lauren King accepted the recommendation of a time-served sentence, telling Noble, “Your behavior impacted all the people on the flight.”

A flight attendant said that other passengers aboard the flight “were terrified” and that if there were an in-flight emergency, it would have been difficult for the crew to respond to it.

“The flight attendants’ actions were admirable and ensured the safety of all on board,” Judge King said.

Alcohol and medications fueled disruption, court records say

Noble was “significantly” impaired by alcohol and additional medications he took while on the flight, according to records filed in the case. Noble first assaulted a person sitting beside him, attempting to force a pill on her and then spilling a drink on her.

Noble then went to the galley and aggressively grabbed a flight attendant from behind. The flight attendant attempted to escort Noble back to his seat.

As he was walking down the aisle, he stumbled into a person sitting in front of him, swore at the passenger, then violently shook the back of the person’s seat.

Passengers around him were relocated, and Noble was ultimately restrained to his seat. DOJ noted that it took a number of flight attendants to securely restrain him.

On Aug. 19, Noble pleaded guilty to interference with flight crew members and attendants.

“After consuming a large amount of alcohol and a prescription medication, Mr. Noble became disruptive, threatening to fight other passengers and flight attendants,” prosecutors wrote in asking for the time served sentence. “While no one was seriously injured, the seriousness of this behavior should not be minimized.

“No one should be subject to bad and borderline violent behavior while locked in a metal tube at 30,000 feet, with no way to escape the disruptive behavior,” prosecutors continued. “And Mr. Noble certainly should have known better as a licensed pilot himself. His conviction will doubtless have other collateral consequences on his ability to freely travel and pursue his current employment.”

Victims continue to provide information on restitution for injuries they may have suffered due to Noble’s behavior. A hearing has been scheduled in late October to set restitution.

DOJ expects Noble to voluntarily depart from the U.S. after his sentencing. A felony conviction may make Noble unable to return to the U.S.

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