THE trial of a passenger, accused of attacking Qatar Airways staff during a flight from Doha to Bangkok, continued yesterday with the testimony of two crew members.
The 32-year-old accused had earlier denied the assault charges but admitted he had been drunk on the trip, on July 11, 2008.
The two stewards explained, in separate testimonies, how they failed to control the passenger even after restraining him with a safety belt. The accused kept calm for 10 minutes before becoming violent again, they said.
One of the stewards said the passenger punched him on the nose and he needed medical treatment. The other said the accused bit him on the neck and scratched his face.
As a result of the trouble caused by the passenger, the captain of the aircraft had to make an unscheduled stop for almost three hours in Mumbai, where the accused was taken off. The Indian authorities later sent him to Doha.
Questioning the two witnesses, the defendant’s lawyer tried to show contradictions between their statements to the police, public prosecution and the court.
The court agreed to the lawyer’s request to summon the captain later this month.
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