Irishman faces 20 years jail for ‘assault’ on NY flight

NEW YORK: An Irishman who refused to wear a Covid mask during a flight from Dublin to New York and exposed his rear end to a flight attendant faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of assault, the Justice Department said on Friday.

Shane McInerney, 29 and from Galway, is alleged to have behaved this way on a Delta Airlines flight on January 7.

He appeared before a judge in New York a week later and was charged with "intentionally assaulting and intimidating a member of a flight crew," according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Friday.

It said the suspect repeatedly refused to wear a mask, threw a beverage can and hit a passenger in the head, and "pulled down his pants and underwear and mooned a flight attendant and passengers." A court spokesman said that if convicted of this felony charge McInerney could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.