Man left bag with teddy bear at airport - Jailed!

[DC09]

A plumber who left an unattended bag containing a teddy bear, some fruit and clothes in an airport lounge was jailed yesterday for causing a full-scale security alert.

Magistrates sentenced Jose da Silva, 25, to 10 days under public nuisance laws.

Da Silva was waiting for a flight home to Portugal last Sunday when he left the hold-all in a departure lounge while he went for a cigarette at Birmingham nternational airport.

The airport was closed for three hours and 1,000 passengers and staff had to leave as an Army bomb disposal team investigated. Three incoming flights were diverted and 15 planes grounded.

Speaking through an interpreter and in tears, da Silva, who pleaded not guilty to creating a public nuisance, told the court in Solihull that he had no intention of causing such a huge security operation.

But Howard Turner, the chairman of the bench, said while da Silva had not intended to cause the alert the offence was serious enough to warrant a prison sentence.

It is thought to be the first time a jail term has been passed for what was an unwitting, albeit costly, act.

A Birmingham airport spokesman said: "This was an example of the sort of thing that can happen and how it escalates very quickly.

"We take these things very seriously and this was a serious security issue. The sentence reflects that and we would reiterate the dangers of leaving luggage unattended."

Article

[bathory]

whilst what he inadvertantly did cause allot of problems, jail time is rediculous

[Druidus]

A public apology, at most, should suffice.

[Xenojjin]

This is what I get from this

System -

in response to you causing a security alert , which we took seriously that costed us money You shall now spend 10 days in jail .

Man -

How does that allow me to make up for what I have done ? Doesn't putting me in jail cause me even more time and money ? Theoretically I men no harm all I did was lose my bag . Its an honest mistake !

System -

yes .

Man -

why ?

Sytem -

public appeal .

man -

How is that any differant then meaningless revenge / punishment ?

System -

it is because we say so . Question us not !

-----------------------------------------

On a more serious note , this is one of the more absurd things I have seen . Clearly the airlines only jailed the man to take the blame off of themselves and preventing them from looking like idiots when they found out that an unattended bag was none other then ... an unattended bag .

They made a good choice to exercise precausion with the bag . But the shamless act of blame shifting was pathetically immature .

If stupidity was a crime ....

Edited May 30, 2004 by Xenojjin

[Guest Lottie]

Although the sentence is pretty stupid the British security system especially around airports is first rate. Always has been. The problem is there is enough info saying not to leave unattended bags in the airport and unforunately because of the current situation with terrorism people have to be particularly careful. IT could have been an unexploded bomb just because there is a teddy in the bag means nothing. A full scale alert at an airport is time consuming and serious [especially over here]. Airports in this country have never taken any threat other than seriously. It does seem extreme to inprison this man though a public apology would of been enough.

Edited May 30, 2004 by Lottie

[daedelus]

i would be soo p***ed if that happend 2 me

[smallpackage]

whilst what he inadvertantly did cause allot of problems, jail time is rediculous

Seriously, why give him 10 days in jail for leaving his bag for a minute? Thats the most bull**** Ive ever seen so far.