Man who hid in aircraft loo to smoke hit by fine after crew spotted him

A passenger on a flight to Birmingham sneaked into the loo for a crafty cigarette - and ended up with a £235 fine.



Andrej Tolmaciov told Birmingham Magistrates he lit up in the plane’s toilet because he “couldn’t last four hours” without smoking.

He was on a Ryanair flight from the Canaries to Birmingham and went into the toilet an hour into the flight.

Lithuanian-born Tolmaciov, 52,from Tettenhall Road, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to smoking on a plane and also disobeying the order of the pilot not to smoke.

He was fined £80 and also ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge and £135 costs.

Noreen Ashraf, prosecuting, told the court the incident happened on January 25 this year when Tolmaciov was flying between Birmingham and the Canaries.

“An announcement was made that smoking was not allowed on the flight, but cabin crew were keeping an eye on the defendant,” she said.

“An hour into the flight he went to the toilet and cabin crew heard him repeatedly flushing the toilet so banged on the door and asked him to open it.

“As soon as he did, they saw smoke inside the toilet and noticed it smelled of cigarettes.

“They asked if he’d been smoking and he said he had.”

The pilot radioed ahead to the police and officers were waiting to arrest Tolmaciov when the plane landed at Birmingham Airport.

He was taken to a police station and interviewed and claimed he had not heard the announcement about smoking.

Magistrates heard how Tolmaciov, who is unemployed, had a previous conviction for drinking and driving.

Tolmaciov told magistrates that he was now aware that smoking was banned on all UK flights.

“I’m a very heavy smoker and it’s hard for me not to smoke for the four hours that flight took,” he said.

“I just popped into the toilet for five seconds and immediately flushed the cigarette down the loo.

“I’m very sorry and promise I won’t do it again.”

(Culled from Birminghammail.co.uk)