Woman charged over trying to open plane door

[Kenshin Uesugi]

Dec 15, 2010

Woman charged over trying to open plane door

By Khushwant Singh

WHILE flying from Munich to Singapore at 7am on Nov 30, Diana Mary Scanlon is alleged to have tried to open the door of a Singapore Airlines plane.

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old Irish national was charged in a district court with endangering the safety of the aircraft.

No plea was taken and the judge allowed the prosecution's request to remand her for two weeks at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation.

The court was not told the reason for the two-week delay in charging her. Scanlon, who works in the hospitality industry, was said to be flying to Perth in Australia, from Europe. Her case will be mentioned again on Dec 29.

If found guilty, she could be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to a year.

 

[Kanetsugu Naoe]

Out on bail: Woman who tried opening plane door


Dec 29, 2010

Out on bail: Woman who tried opening plane door

By Khushwant Singh

Diana Mary Scanlon, 28 was allowed out on bail of $5,000. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

A YOUNG woman charged with trying to open a plane door in mid-flight was allowed out on bail of $5,000 on Wednesday, after spending nearly a month in remand.

Diana Mary Scanlon, 28, a passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight from Munich to Singapore, is alleged to have committed the offence at 6.50am on November 30, 2010.

The Irish national was first charged in a district court on Dec 15, when she was ordered to undergo two weeks of psychiatric evaluation in the Institute of Mental Health.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor said that the psychiatric report was ready and he needed an adjournment so as to consult the Attorney-General's Chambers on its findings.

Scanlon's lawyer Christopher Bridges said that looking at the report, it was 'most likely that the charge would be withdrawn' and asked for his client to be freed on a personal bond as she knew no Singaporeans to bail her out.

He also said that she was on medication and her older brother had flown down from Ireland to supervise her while she waits for the court case to be resolved.

District Judge John Ng then set bail at $5,000 and allowed the brother to bail her out.

 

[Han Solo]

Jan 7, 2011

Charges dropped for woman who tried to open plane door

By Khushwant Singh

Irish national Diana Mary Scanlon was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal over her attempting to open a Singapore Airlines plane door. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

THE Irish woman charged with trying to open a plane door in mid-flight was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal by a district court on Friday.

No reasons were offered by the prosecution but its application for the discharge for Diana Mary Scanlon, 28, came a week after it received her psychiatric report from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

It is believed that she suffers from a bipolar disorder.

Ms Scanlon, a chef, had been charged on Dec 15 for attempting to open the door of a Singapore Airlines plane at 6.50am on Nov 30.

She spent a month in remand, including two weeks in IMH, before she was allowed to be bailed out on Dec 30.