An out-of-control Indian man who terrorised a Bali to Melbourne Qantas flight has had his charges dropped due to mental health issues.
Puri Siddawala, 30, threatened to blow up the plane, told other passengers he would stab them, and demanded a flight attendant give him a kiss during the mid-air meltdown on December 31, 2023.
But he walked free from Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after charges of assault on a plane and making threats to kill were dropped by Commonwealth prosecutors, and will not face any legal consequences after his lawyer successfully argued the rampage was caused by a mental condition.
Criminal lawyer George Balot, of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers, told the court his client has a condition called automatism that brings on unintentional intrusive thoughts or verbal expressions, Daily Mail Australia reported.
“The issue in this case was and has always been the defence of automatism,” he said outside court.
“My client had an absence of all the deliberative functions of the mind so that he acted automatically.”
Mr Balot added that his client wished to apologise to the passengers and Qantas crew affected by his behaviour, which Siddawala says he cannot remember.
The court heard that Siddawala allegedly threatened to blow up the plane, “stab” and “cut up” passengers during his violent outburst, shouting: “Where is my AK-47. Where is my knife … I have a gun I will kill you cunts, Victoria Police dogs. I will blow up the plane.”
He also yelled “if you don’t get away from me I will fuck you” before grabbing a flight attendant by the arms and saying “listen baby, give me a kiss”.
Footage from inside the plane shows Siddawala screaming and lunging around before being restrained by five other passengers.
He was then held in the aisle for the remainder of the flight, which landed in Melbourne four hours later.
Siddawala was handed over the Australian Federal Police on arrival, questioned and taken for a medical assessment.
Passenger Norman Pires De Silva told Nine News at the time it was a “pretty scary” experience.
“He attacked two-three of the passengers, all the other passengers overpowered him,” he said.
Header image: Left, right, Siddawala during his rampage (Nine News).
