If you’re unlucky enough to sit in front of a bored, tired child on a long-haul flight, you’re likely to get a few kicks in the back.
It’s a fact of life most frequent fliers have accepted, and for most of us, there’s a clear course of action in such a scenario: ignore the behaviour, or politely address the child’s parent.
Brisbane man Brett Walter John Gale, 32, appears to have missed this memo on social etiquette.
Flying from Adelaide to Brisbane on Virgin Australia in mid-2015, Gale threatened the break the legs of the seven year old in the seat behind him.
“Stop kicking the f***ing seat,” Gale reportedly yelled at child soon after the plane took off.
“Go on, kick the f***ing seat again and I’ll break both your legs.”
Gale proceeded to direct his anger at the child’s mother when the plane landed, demanding that she discipline her child.
When other passengers stepped in to defend the mother and her child, Gale escalated his threats, even grabbing one man by the shirt and pushing him away.
On Thursday, Gale pleaded guilty to a charge of offensive and disorderly conduct in the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court.
The magistrate described Gale’s behaviour as “childish” and fined Gale $750.
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i bet that kid has learnt his lesson about kicking chairs.
also, kinda tired of parents who think they are in charge of how we address their children.
I'd let someone calmly address my child and ask them to stop what they are doing (although I'd prefer they talk to me), but I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone that would allow someone to swear at their kid. Really, was the f word necessary?
I think he was well within his rights to say that. Perhaps should've been directed at the parents instead of the kid but any kid who is tall enough to reach the back of the seat is probably old enough to know better.
At the footy once and the kid in front of me, kept waving his flag around and hitting me in the legs etc with it. I said to my friend next to me, ensuring i was loud enough for both the kid and his dad (who was watching and not doing anything), that "I am about to snap that f**king flag in half if I get hit with it one more time"
Sure enough, the dad took the flag off the kid.
So you condone adults making violent threats against children? Wow.
Why not take the mature response and ask either the parent or child to stop....
You mean like that dad took the mature response and actually parented his own kid? Why should I have to parent his kid?
I don't know, I think back in the days where kids were threatened with a clip over the ear sure worked much better than the softly softly pc do nothing say nothing approach these days. Back in my parents day they had so-called 'violent' threats made to them, and they shut up and behaved. Instantly. Can you imagine many children kicking seats and getting away with it in the 50s, 60s, even 70s? No. Like not making threats and being all softly softly is working these days? Something has to change.