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6 months’ jail for man who made bomb threat on board Scoot flight bound for Perth

2023-12-22 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - An Australian man whose fake bomb threat caused a Scoot flight to make a U-turn back to Singapore has been sentenced to six months’ jail.

Hawkins Kevin Francis, 30, pleaded guilty on Dec 22 to one charge of making false threats of terrorist acts contravening the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations.

His actions on board Scoot flight TR16 on Oct 12, 2023, forced the plane, headed for Perth, Australia, to turn back while it was flying over the South China Sea.

The plane was escorted by two F-15SG fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force on its return to Changi Airport.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Chua said Francis, who was travelling with his wife from Phuket to Perth via Singapore, wanted to be arrested after the plane landed in Perth to avoid his perceived social problems.

The couple boarded the plane at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at around 3.30pm, and it departed about 40 minutes later with a total of 11 crew members and 363 passengers on board.

At about 4.30pm, shortly after the seatbelt sign was turned off, Francis got up from his seat and walked to the “Scoot in Silence” zone – an area where only travellers aged 12 and over are seated.

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Mr Muhammad Nur Syafiq Haroon, a 25-year-old steward, spotted Francis and asked if he required any assistance.

Said DPP Chua: “The accused moved closer to (the steward) and uttered softly in an emotionless tone, ‘I have a bomb’.”

Stunned, the steward asked Francis if he could repeat what he had just said, but Francis ignored him and returned to his seat. The steward then asked him to clarify. Francis repeated that he had a bomb and mimed an explosion with his hands.

The steward immediately informed the chief of cabin crew, Ms Celine Fong Suet Lay, 52, who approached Francis. After repeating to her that he had a bomb, Francis pointed to his left trouser pocket. When asked what the item inside was, he took out a nasal inhaler.

DPP Chua said that while there did not appear to be anything incriminating in the nasal inhaler, it was unclear if there were any explosives in Francis’ hand carry or check-in luggage.

Ms Fong alerted the pilot who, following protocol, reported mayday and notified the Scoot control centre of the incident and that TR16 would be turning back to Singapore.

A security specialist at Scoot notified the police, and Francis was closely monitored for the rest of the flight. DPP Chua said he was compliant and remained seated.

At about 6.30pm, the plane landed at a remote location at Changi Airport.

The Special Operations Command K-9 unit conducted security checks and a team of officers from the Airport Emergency Services was also activated in case of a fire from a bomb blast.

All hand carry and check-in luggage, as well as Francis and his wife’s personal belongings underwent security checks, and nothing incriminating was found. Police escorted Francis out of the plane and arrested him.

After disembarking, the crew members and rest of the passengers boarded the plane again and departed for Perth at about 11.40pm.

DPP Chua said Francis had a relapse of schizophrenia and a major depressive episode around the time of the incident, which contributed to his offence. But he was assessed to be not of unsound mind and was fit to plead in court.

The prosecutor asked the court to impose four to six months’ jail, saying Francis’ actions caused significant disruptions to other passengers and extensive disruption to emergency services.

She said: “We live in an age where the spectre of terrorism is both ubiquitous and real. In such a climate, bomb hoaxes are particularly pernicious – it is often difficult to ascertain from the outset whether a threat is genuine or false, and a miscalculation may lead to catastrophic consequences.

“Each time such false threats are made, substantial public resources are inevitably expended to address the perceived threat.”

Defence lawyer S. S. Dhillon asked for four months’ jail for his client, who is a forklift operator.

He told the court about Francis’ family’s history of mental illness, including his father’s bipolar disorder.

For making false threats of terrorist acts, Francis could have been fined up to $500,000, jailed for up to 10 years or both.