Hijack scare passenger found not guilty

A Qld magistrate has accepted that a man who triggered a hijack scare on a flight to Bali was suffering from a medical condition.

Matt Christopher Lockley arrives at the Brisbane Magistrate's court

A 28-year-old man has been found not guilty of interfering with a crew member on a Virgin flight. (AAP)

A NSW man who was charged over a hijack scare on a Virgin flight from Brisbane to Bali has been found not guilty of interfering with a crew member.

Matt Christopher Lockley, 28, triggered the airline's hijack procedure in April when he allegedly bashed on the cockpit door and demanded entry.

He pleaded not guilty to interfering with a crew member in October, arguing he was trying to get into the toilet and was confused because he was having a panic attack.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court previously heard Lockley was paranoid someone had interfered with his luggage.

Magistrate Judith Daley on Friday found Lockley not guilty of interfering with the crew and accepted that he was suffering from a medical condition.

She could not determine what the condition was.

Lockley said he "definitely had a panic attack".

"I am very relieved ... I never tried to get in anywhere, it was a big misunderstanding," he told reporters outside court.

"It's been a lot of stress for myself and my family. We're all very, very happy. At the moment I want to jump up and down but I'm still a bit shocked, that's for sure."

The 28-year-old said his his employment was on a fly-in fly-out basis and he had flown since the incident.

He referred to the saga as "traumatic" and said he was relieved there would be no permanent impact on his job.

"There had been dramas as you could understand, but it's all good now."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world