Hannah Pierson, a former Instagram and glamour model, admitted in court that she threatened to blow up the plane she was traveling in -- from Melbourne to Auckland -- after she was denied a glass of wine by the cabin crew.
There were 72 other passengers onboard the flight and the 31-year-old is charged of ''disorderly behavior'' along with ''disruptive conduct'' towards the air crew members when she appeared in Christchurch District Court today and the incident occurred in November, 2020.
The model has deactivated her Instagram handle and is only keeping her Twitter account up which is not active since 2016.
How Did The Drama Unfold?
It all started when the crew began serving food and beverages to people onboard and Hannah asked for a glass of wine, but was politely told down by the crew that her ticket does not cover drinks and was told she needs to buy from the menu.
Irritated by the fact that the crew turned down her request, Hannah began verbally abusing the crew member and started yelling on top of her voice, creating panic in the flight.
She then stood up yelling at the airhostess in derogatory language. "I'll f****** get it myself, give me the f****** wine" and also called the attendant a "b****".
As Hannah, in a fit of rage, rushed towards the airhostess, the other cabin crew members managed to stop her and put her in a vacant seat and the former model grabbed a crew member's arm in a tight grip, squeezing it hard and causing pain.
She then began making movements with her head in what looked like she was ready to head-butt the crew, the court summary read.
That is when the other cabin crew members tied her to the seat but were concerned about her unruly behavior, as they made her to sit at the emergency exit, which they failed to realize during the scuffle and couldn't move her to another seat as the crew had already handcuffed her and strapped her to the seat using spare seatbelts.
The cabin crew, in their report, submitted to the court said the woman yelled several times on top of her voice, "Get me a f****** wine or I'll blow up the plane". Her tirade continued with total disregard to other passengers in the plane including young children who were terrified.
About 90 minutes before landing, the woman fell asleep, but woke up on landing in Auckland and began her verbal tirade against the cabin crew for a glass of wine.
The Woman Pleads Guilty For Her Actions
Judge Alastair Garland, in his verdict, remanded her on bail to be sentenced on June 23, 2021 and also asked her lawyer if she had an alcohol problem. The woman accepted that alcohol had been a major issue in her past.
After pleading guilty for her actions, the woman's lawyer said she intends to apply for a discharge without conviction, saying a conviction would have travel consequences to Hannah. The judge, however, remarked that the airlines would be "quite happy" if she didn't travel again.
