Male Indian national, 42, to be charged for allegedly threatening to kill cabin crew on S'pore-bound plane

The Singapore police will be charging a 42-year-old male Indian national in court on Apr. 1, 2025 for committing multiple offences while onboard an aircraft.

The offences include the use of criminal force, criminal intimidation, and being intoxicated onboard jeopardising good order and discipline of an aircraft.

The man has been identified as Kolathu James Leo.

In a Mar. 31 release, the police said they were alerted to an incident of a man behaving in a threatening manner while onboard a flight bound for Singapore on Feb. 27, at about 6:55pm.

Investigations revealed that the man was believed to have been intoxicated during the flight and had grabbed a passenger seated beside him, and forcefully pushed the seat in front of him, causing annoyance to other passengers.

The man allegedly behaved aggressively even when the cabin crew intervened and tried to calm him down.

The man later allegedly grabbed the wrist of a male cabin crew and verbally threatened to kill him.

The man only became compliant after he was told that the aircraft would return to his embarkation location if he continued his behaviour.

He was then placed under restraints by the cabin crew for the rest of the journey.

Upon arrival at Changi Airport, the man was arrested by officers from the Airport Police Division.

The man will be charged with a number of offences.

They include using criminal force to a person, which carries a jail term of up to three months or with a fine of up to S$1,500 or both; criminal intimidation if the threat is to cause death, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years or with a fine or both; being intoxicated onboard jeopardising good order and discipline, which carries a jail term of up to 12 months or a fine of up to S$20,000 or both.

The police said they treat all forms of violence, threats and disruption behaviour onboard aircrafts seriously.

"Physical aggression, verbal threats and attempt to interfere with the crew’s duties can compromise flight safety," the police added.

The police said they will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone who endangers the passengers and crew onboard, and threatens the security and order of an aircraft.

"All air travellers are reminded to adhere to air safety regulations and conduct themselves responsibly when onboard an aircraft," the police added.

Top photo via Unsplash