A bunch of idiots on a plane who got into a brawl, it sounds quite simple, and from 'judging' of the characters, quite accurate, or is it?
There's is one line that stands out a fair bit and that is:
"Mr Beecham, whose partner was waiting for him at the airport, told reporters the media had “got it all wrong”....."
The following text (pictures omitted from the original article) is from 23 July 2016 by news.com.au of the headline:
Jetstar midair fracas: Brawling mates land back in Australia
THE six
Australian men involved in the mile-high Jetstar brawl have arrived back home,
but their nightmare is not over yet after their holiday plans were cut short by
a midair fracas of their own making.
The group
have been immediately banned from flying with Jetstar or Qantas.
Three of
the six men, Brett Eldridge, Bradley Beecham, and Lynmin Waharai, were escorted
back to Sydney Airport by Jetstar staff overnight and arrived early this
morning.
Brett
Eldridge, who also arrived back at Sydney international airport. Picture: Carly
EarlSource:News Corp Australia
The other
three men, Mark Rossiter, Ricky William and Michael Matthews, emerged from
Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport about 12.20am, almost two hours after their
flight landed.
They are
all facing a claim for tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for the
cost of the diversion and escort back home.
Mr
Beecham, whose partner was waiting for him at the airport, told reporters the
media had “got it all wrong” before apologising to passengers on-board the
flight.
“I’m
sorry for the stress to all the passengers on the flight. I’m sorry for what
happened ... 100 per cent,” he said.
“It
looked bad, but there was more to the story. No one knows the truth.
“You can
only try to prevent it the best you can.”
News Corp
Australia understands they had been spoken to by border force officials.
Officials
briefly escorted Michael Matthews just outside the airport so he could smoke a
cigarette.
Sporting
sunglasses to hide bruising, he and Ricky Longmuir later attempted to hide
their faces as they jumped in a taxi.
A source
told The Herald Sun the men were “pretty embarrassed” by the ordeal.
A woman
who was on the same flight as the Australians said Jetstar staff in Bali had
been snapping photos of them as they boarded the plane.
The group
— from Sydney, Bathurst, the Sunshine Coast and Townsville — looked chastened
when they boarded their flights in Bali.
Jetstar
had sent security from Sydney to escort the group home on two separate flights.
Sporting
a black eye, Michael Matthews, kept his sunglasses on as he was lead to the
plane, lifting them only at the request of the officials who were returning his
passport.
A work
colleague of Brad Beecham, at Beecham Concreting in Bathurst, said he was okay
after having spent a night in Bali custody but maintained he was not involved
in the punch up which saw their Phuket bound flight diverted to Bali to offload
them.
Michael
Matthews, Lynmin Waharai and Mark Rossiter on board Jetstar plane from Sydney
to Thailand. Picture: Michael Matthews, FacebookSource:Facebook
Witnesses
have described that two of the group were the protagonists and that others had
stayed in the background as one rowdy passenger in the group was punched three
times in the face by his mate.
Matthews
posted images on his Facebook page of some of the group on the plane, shortly
before takeoff from Sydney.
Footage emerges of those involved in Jetstar brawl
It seems their ill-fated trip to
Phuket was first conceived back in April when Matthews posted to
Facebook that he was going on an overseas trip with a few Sydney mates in the
next months. He told anyone else who might want to join to message him.
Then in
mid June he advertised one spot left for the Thailand trip.
Another
of the group, also in the concreting industry, is believed to live in
Townsville while others are in Sydney.
The six
mates — Australians Beecham, Matthews, Ricky Longmuir, Mark Rossiter, Brett
Eldrige and New Zealander Lynmin Waharai — were off-loaded from their Jetstar
flight at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport after the brawl caused the pilot
to divert the flight from its course to Phuket.
After the
group was taken off, by police and army officials, the flight then continued to
Phuket.
And the
men spent two days and a night in Immigration Holding room at the airport. The
room had couches but no beds.
The group
escaped any charges or sanctions in Indonesia but Jetstar has not ruled out
forcing them to pay the cost of the diversion and landing, which could run into
the tens of thousands of dollars.
The
Australian Federal Police says it is aware of the case but given it is in the
hands of Indonesian authorities would not comment further.
Three of
the group — Matthews, Longmuir and Rossiter — were flown from Bali to Melbourne
on a Jetstar flight departing Denpasar at 2.45pm local time yesterday and were
due to arrive in Australia last night. They were accompanied by two Jetstar
security officials.
The other
three — Beecham, Eldrige and Lynmin — were due to arrive in Sydney this morning
(sat) on a flight which left Denpasar at 10.35pm local time last night. They
too were accompanied by two Jetstar officials.
The
general manager of Bali airport, Trikora Harjo, said yesterday the group was
being accompanied on their return flights by security.
“To
prevent other fights, security from Australia have arrived last night. They
will escort them while on board,” Mr Harjo said.
Jetstar
trouble makers at Denpasar Airport in Bali. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
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