Drunk oil and gas expert threatened to kill cabin crew member on Edinburgh plane

An off-shore oil and gas expert threatened to kill a member of cabin crew during a shocking drunken outburst on board an aircraft has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Drunk passenger: Veronique Morel

Veronique Morel told Qatar Airways staff to “f**k off” when they were forced to wake her after the flight from Doha had landed in Edinburgh last year.

Morel, 39, made the threats to kill one employee before emptying her bag on the floor and struggling with police officer.

She then stuck her middle finger up and yelled “f**k you” before she was arrested.

The seismic acquisition analyst with ION Geophysical, later claimed she could not remember the incident after she had mixed alcohol with medication following four weeks working off-shore.

Morel, from Marchmont, represented herself when she pleaded guilty to three offences at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in December.

Since pleading guilty Morel engaged the services of solicitor Matthew Nicholson who told the court she was “extremely sorry for her behaviour” and that she had been sacked from her job due to the prosecution.

Sheriff Adrian Fraser said: “You will appreciate these are serious charges in their nature and location.

“Cabin crew who attended to you on the flight should not be subjected to such behaviour.

“However I take into account you are a first offender and take into account your remorse. I also take account of the fact that you have lost your employment as a result of these prosecutions.”

Morel was ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work in the community over the next 18 months as punishment for her drunken behaviour.

Previously prosecutor Hilary Dyer said Morel was on board the Qatar Airways flight that left Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, that landed at Edinburgh Airport at around 1.50pm on August 8, 2019.

Ms Dyer said all the passengers had disembarked when cabin crew spotted Morel fast asleep in her seat and had trouble waking her up.

The fiscal said Morel was eventually woken by air crew but soon became “abusive towards the crew, shouting ‘f*** off’ and ‘f*** you’ repeatedly”.

Ms Dyer added: “The accused was unsteady on her feet and cabin crew could smell alcohol.

“While disembarking she also made threats towards a member of the cabin crew that she would kill her.

“The accused made her way on to the air bridge and she continued to shout ‘f*** off’ and ‘f*** you’ and then began emptying items from her bag onto the floor.”

Police were contacted and after being asked to produce her passport Morel “told them to f*** off” and “raised her middle finger” at the officers.

Morel then “attempted to break free” from the officers and “wedged her legs against the door” of the police vehicle before being taken to Livingston police station.

The court also heard Morel later became “apologetic and tearful” as she sobered up at the station and claimed she could not remember the flight as she had mixed alcohol with medication.

She told officers she had not drunk alcohol for four weeks as she had been working off-shore and had downed drinks at the airport in Doha before getting on the plane.

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