Man jailed 12 years for bomb threat on Malaysian Airlines flight
Thursday, 7 Jun 20185:46 PM MYT
PETALING JAYA: A man who threatened to blow up the plane while onboard a Malaysia Airlines flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur in May 2017 has been jailed for 12 years.
Manohd Marks, a Sri Lankan who was a 25-year-old hospitality student at the time, had made the threat while under a drug-induced psychosis.
Shortly after takeoff, he forced Malaysia Airlines Flight MH128 to Kuala Lumpur to turn back when he brandished a portable speaker and battery pack with false claims that it was a bomb.
On the night of the incident, Malaysia Airlines confirmed with The Star that a “disruptive passenger” who attempted to enter the cockpit had forced the plane to turn back.
Some onboard the plane managed to subdue Marks and tie his hands.
According to a report by ABC News, the case has no precedent Down Under, as Marks is the first person in Australia to be sentenced for the offence of attempting to take control of an aircraft.
Judge Michael McInerney sentenced Marks to 12 years imprisonment, of which he will serve a minimum of nine years.
Marks, who will not be eligible for parole until 2027, will also be deported to Sri Lanka after his release.
According to a report by news.com.au, Marks had been released from a psychiatric facility on the day of the incident.
“In sentencing remarks, Judge McInerney acknowledged there was never a threat that the “bomb” — later revealed to be a speaker and a charger — could go off. But he said there was still a serious threat and that the pilot’s stress made flying treacherous,” said the report.
The judge also said that making threats is a use of force itself, and likened it to using a fake gun in a robbery.
The police were also criticised for the way they handled the situation and for taking so long to board the flight after it returned to Melbourne.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/07/man-jailed-12-years-for-bomb-threat-on-malaysian-airlines-flight/#xGP4GZVre50K6RYG.99
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