Air steward jailed for bomb hoax

Friday 22nd May 2009

An Australian air steward has been jailed for 18 months following a bomb hoax on an inbound UK flight.

The 23-year-old, Matthew Carney, caused a panic on board an Emirates flight from Dubai when he hid a piece of paper in the lavatory saying: "Explosive material can be found in the FWD (forward cargo department). We have the Taliban to thank for this."

The captain announced the discovery to the 160 passengers after one of them found the note and forwarded it on to the cabin crew.

The Boeing 777 landed at Gatwick and was immediately intercepted by armed police.

Fire and ambulance crews were called in and incoming air traffic turned away in an operation that cost £42,000. Some passengers were left with a fear of flying as a result of the ordeal.

Mr Carney was arrested and had his luggage searched, turning up another note in a pair of shorts saying "Cargo contains explosives" with matching handwriting to the note found on the plane.

The steward was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court where Judge Richard Brown told him: "What you did was a gross breach of trust of your employer, to your passengers, fellow cabin crew members and the emergency services."

An Emirates spokesman said: "Emirates can confirm that Matthew Carney was suspended from duty following his arrest, pending the outcome of today's court case.

"This was a serious incident and our disciplinary procedures will now be concluded.

"Clearly there is no place for these irresponsible actions in any airline."