Pair 'played tig with airport bag carts'

Published on Tuesday 3 February 2009 21:43

TWO airport baggage handlers drove in circles beside planes before purposely crashing their vehicles into one another, a court heard yesterday.

Kris Ralton, 25, and Gary Crawford, 28, allegedly played a game of "cat and mouse" while they waited for a flight to land at Edinburgh Airport in February last year.

It is claimed their game of "tig" came to a sudden halt when Crawford crashed his vehicle into Ralton's, injuring Ralton's leg.

The pair, who were sacked in the wake of the incident, have been charged with breaking airport by-laws and were standing trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

It is alleged they drove their electric baggage tugs dangerously before deliberately colliding with each other.

Both men deny the allegations.

One of their colleagues said the pair had simply been "larking around" during a quiet Saturday night at the airport and had not intended to crash their vehicles.

The court was shown video footage of Ralton and Crawford, who share a flat at Guardianswood, Edinburgh, driving in circles.

Three fire engines, an ambulance, a police car and three airport safety vehicles were called out to attend the incident on 9 February, 2008.

A baggage handler, Tamim Brahmi, 24, told the court that he was a passenger in Ralton's tug while Crawford carried another baggage handler in his vehicle.

He said the tugs – 6ft long and 5ft wide – are used to pull baggage carts and have a top speed of 15mph.

They drove out to Stand 19 to wait for a flight to arrive around 9pm.

Mr Brahmi said Ralton and Crawford began to drive around "in circles" on the stand, crashing into one another three or four times.

"Like a game; like cat and mouse," said Mr Brahmi. "There were a few shunts. They collided with each other."

The tugs then drove off and over a pedestrian crossing but crashed again 30 seconds later, after the drivers rounded a corner without seeing each other, he said.

"There was a collision between the front of our tug and the side of Gary's tug," said Mr Brahmi.

The trial, before Sheriff Derrick McIntyre, is due to continue later this month.