Holiday ruined by drunken antics

File photo / NZH

Christchurch Airport's Gate 10 was the scene of the crime.

Australian tourist Gabriel Luis Anorga's drunken antics brought his holiday to a sudden stop yesterday.

He was due to depart for Queenstown, having just flown in from Australia, but instead was off-loaded from the aircraft and arrested.

Anorga was intoxicated and shouting obscenities, and saying that the people on the plane were all going to die.

That led to an appearance in the Christchurch District Court today on a charge of behaving in an offensive manner.

Defence counsel Tony Garrett said he had to obtain the police summary of facts and tell Anorga what he had done as he was too drunk to remember.

He said Anorga's holiday was ruined, but that if he lived in New Zealand he would have got diversion from the police as he had no previous convictions in either Australia or New Zealand.

The court papers give his address simply as "Australia".

Judge Patricia Costigan said Anorga caused a huge amount of inconvenience and should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.

She said if he made a donation to the Salvation Army of $250 she would discharge him without conviction so he could fly home.

- NZPA