BANGOR, Maine — British nationals Anthony Joseph James Kirby, 36, and Damien Murphy, 36 were sentenced at U.S. District Court in Bangor Tuesday to time served and to jointly pay more than $26,500 in restitution for interfering with a flight crew and assaulting an attendant.
Kirby and Murphy were on a TUI Airways flight traveling from Cancun to Manchester, U.K. on Jan. 2. During the flight, the FAA received reports that the two passengers were interfering with a flight crew and attendants.
The prosecution stated Kirby and Murphy were drunk and became upset when they were told they would not be served any more alcohol. They then began making racist comments about the crew and passengers and assaulted a flight attendant and a passenger on the plane.
That's when the pilot made the decision to divert the flight to BGR where FBI, Federal Air Marshal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Bangor Police Department officers and agents responded.
Kirby and Murphy have been in custody since their arrest on Jan. 2.
In February, both men pleaded guilty to charges of interference and assault.
In court Tuesday, both Kirby and Murphy accepted responsibility for their actions and apologized to everyone affected, including their families and friends.
"They drank too much, things got out of control, and he [Murphy] regrets it deeply. As he said himself he's embarrassed and ashamed of what happened," Don Brown, Murphy's attorney, said.
"He [Kirby] feels horrible about what he did, and the judge I think appropriately considered his life circumstances and everything that happened on board the plane in reaching the sentence of time served," Harris Mattson, Kirby's attorney, said.
Kirby and Murphy will continue to be held in custody in the U.S. until they are sent back to the U.K. in the coming days.