Woman who tried to open plane door to commit suicide spared jail

28.05.09

A suicidal woman who tried to open an aircraft door at 32,000 ft during a flight from Paris to Edinburgh Airport this year has been sentenced to 18 months probation.

Ann Gilmour, 47, from Glasgow, had pleaded guilty to recklessly and negligently endangering an Air France flight in January. She wad expected to be jailed for the incident. However, she received a lesser sentence after Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard it would have been ‘physically impossible’ for her to open the aircraft door at 32,000 ft.

Sheriff Isabella McColl sentenced Miss Gilmour for a breach of the peace after hearing passengers were not in danger. She said: ‘I have obtained two opinions from experts at the CAA and both agree that the design of the aircraft door would have made it impossible for her to have physically opened the door.’

The court heard that Miss Gilmour was pulled away after cabin crew saw her trying to turn the handle on the exit door of the plane 90 minutes after it left Charles de Gaulle airport on January 7. Miss Gilmour, who has a history of mental illness, said she wanted to jump out of the plane and kill herself. She was restrained and arrested on arrival at Edinburgh Airport and has been in custody ever since.

The court had originally been told her actions could have had ‘catastrophic’ results, with the door being blown away causing a sudden drop in pressure and temperature inside the cabin. However, her defence counsel Ronnie Renucci said: ‘It is unfortunate that this case has proceeded on this false information. It is quite clear no-one in that aircraft was in danger as a result of Miss Gilmour's actions.'

In addition to a suspended sentence, Sheriff McColl also ordered Miss Gilmour to take mental health support as part of her probation.

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