Passenger punched a ground attendant over hand luggage

An unruly Ryanair passenger punched a member of the ground staff after being told that her bag was too big for hand luggage.

She got off with a slap on the wrist yesterday as she was conditionally discharged by a court.

On the day she was meant to be celebrating her birthday, December 23, 2011, Amanda Edwards, 39, a Briton living in Gozo, floored ground attendant Victoria Mifsud Tommasi.

In the moments leading up to the attack, Ms Mifsud Tommasi had told her that once her bag did not fit the metal sizing frame, then she could not take it up as hand luggage at the departures lounge.

In the short sitting, Ms Edwards had to be told by Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona to be quiet as she stood in the dock with folded arms insisting she had “committed no offence”.

Taking the witness stand, Ms Mifsud Tommasi was told by the magistrate that he did not want any details but only wanted her to be precise and brief.

It took her one sentence to say that after the bag did not size-up, she told Ms Edwards could not take it aboard with her and was floored with a punch.

The next witness, a police sergeant, was promptly told that if he had not witnessed the incident he could leave and the report he had written would be considered.

The magistrate reviewed the documents and told Ms Edwards that he found her guilty of slightly injuring Ms Mifsud Tommasi, threatening her and breaching the peace.

Ms Edwards loudly remarked that she had not com-mitted any offence. She was conditionally discharged for three months.

Police Inspector Arthur Mercieca prosecuted while lawyer Franco Galea appeared for Ms Edwards.