William Clegg, 33, claimed he had ‘no aware management’ in the course of the mid-air ruckus on a transatlantic flight between San Jose within the US and Heathrow
A west London banker had right now been cleared of assaulting 5 BA cabin crew after taking a cocktail of alcohol and sleeping tablets.
William Clegg, 33, claimed he had ‘no aware management’ in the course of the mid-air ruckus on a transatlantic flight between San Jose within the US and Heathrow.
He advised jury members he had taken two Ambien sleeping tablets, together with three glasses of wine and two travel-sized bottles of Baileys, previous to the incident in August 2019.
Whereas below the affect of the medication and alcohol, Clegg allegedly assaulted 5 BA cabin crew.
This included trying to headbutt a feminine flight attendant, and pulling a male flight attendant onto the bottom, a court docket beforehand heard.
The banker, who lives in London’s dear Notting Hill district, denied the allegations and has been on trial at Isleworth Crown Courtroom.
At this time he was discovered not responsible on all counts after the jury deliberated for slightly below an hour, following the 4 day trial.
Clegg gave a thumbs as much as his good friend’s father within the public gallery and broke down in tears because the not responsible verdicts have been returned.
In an announcement given exterior court docket, he apologised for his actions and criticised prosecutors urging them to ‘evaluate their dealing with of comparable circumstances going ahead’.
Clegg allegedly assaulted 5 BA cabin crew (pictured: Library picture of a BA flight), together with trying to headbutt a feminine flight attendant, and pulling a male flight attendant onto the bottom, a court docket beforehand heard
Mr Clegg’s defence was that his conduct on the BA flight was attributable to combining alcohol with two Ambien tablets – the unwanted side effects of which he was unaware.
Why medics advocate by no means mixing sleeping tablets and alcohol
There are numerous several types of sleeping tablets, however docs usually recommendation sufferers to by no means combine them with alcohol.
That is as a result of alcohol can enhance the results of sedatives and hypnotics, growing the danger of an overdose.
The sleeping tablets can even enhance the results of alcohol.
Widespread unwanted side effects of blending sleeping tablets and alcohol embody: Suppression of the nervous system, elevated danger of overdose, elevated danger of sleeping tablet habit and elevated danger of alcohol use dysfunction.
Different unwanted side effects can embody reminiscence impairment, sleep strolling and worsened high quality of sleep.
However it might probably additionally result in extra extreme results together with a danger of dying.
William Clegg’s case just isn’t the primary when an individual has been cleared of a prison offence after claiming to have combined alcohol and sleeping tablets.
The case bears similarities to that of Ryder Cup successful golfer Olesen who final month was additionally discovered not responsible of a sequence of expenses after consuming alcohol, together with taking his girlfriend’s Ambien pill on a British Airways flight.
The 31-year-old Dane stated he was ’embarrassed and ashamed’ by accounts of what occurred on board the flight after he awoke with no reminiscence.
He was discovered not responsible for sexual assault and assault by beating, whereas the choose discharged the third depend of being drunk on an plane.
In 2002, REM guitarist Peter Buck was additionally cleared of occurring a drunken rampage aboard a British Airways airplane through which he sprayed flight attendants with the contents of a pot of yoghurt.
The jury discovered him not responsible of being charged with being drunk on an plane, two counts of widespread assault, and one cost of damaging BA crockery.
He didn’t deny his behaviour, however claimed an Ambien sleeping tablet reacted violently with alcohol – turning him right into a ‘non-insane automaton’.
Supply: Alcohol.org
‘If any person advised me – or had I learn the leaflet – and it stated there was a one in 1,000,000 probability of this occurring, I’d not have taken the tablets,’ he stated.
Mr Clegg was represented by Trevor Burke QC, who beforehand efficiently defended golfer Thorbjorn Olesen, after he was accused of sexually assaulting a lady on a BA flight from Nashville to London after mixing alcohol with Ambien.
The Ryder cup golfer’s defence was that the mixture of sleeping tablets and alcohol brought about him to turn out to be an ‘automaton’.
Mr Burke QC advised the jury that on the time of the incident Mr Clegg was working as a service provider banker.
He would repeatedly fly to purchasers in Japan and the Center East, and had taken 90 work-related flights within the yr earlier than the incident.
The jury additionally heard that the previous Abingdon faculty pupil had suffered from nocturnal epilepsy between the ages of eight and 13.
On account of this era of childhood nocturnal epilepsy, he suffers from insomnia – struggling to get between 4 to 6 hours sleep, he stated.
A number of weeks earlier than the flight, Mr Clegg believes that he suffered a day-time epileptic match for the primary time at a marriage in Majorca.
The incident was witnessed by two docs on the wedding ceremony, his defence barrister added.
Following medical examination again in England, Mr Clegg stated that docs advised him to keep away from driving for six months.
He then travelled to California, the place he and his girlfriend rented a villa with a swimming pool.
He advised the jury that his girlfriend additionally suffers insomnia and takes Ambien to cope with it.
Whereas in California, he accompanied his girlfriend to a physician in Beverley Hills for her Ambien prescription a number of days earlier than he was attributable to fly house.
He stated that on the physician’s workplace he was supplied an Ambien prescription for the primary time to cope with his insomnia.
He stated his girlfriend typically took Ambien after consuming alcohol with none adverse results.
‘My girlfriend had taken it quite a few occasions, two to 3 tablets, with or with out wine,’ he stated.
‘She is half my measurement and by no means had any opposed results.’
In an announcement following the 4 day trial at Isleworth Crown Courtroom, he stated: ‘I’m extraordinarily relieved on the verdict and wish to thank my authorized group Trevor Burke QC and Simons Muirhead Burton solicitors.
‘I wish to sincerely apologise to the BA crew concerned within the incident.
‘My actions have been completely out of character, and because the jury, discovered the results of pharmaceuticals.
‘I’d urge the CPS to evaluate their dealing with of comparable circumstances going ahead.
‘The medical proof on which my defence relied was accessible over two years in the past and accepting it then would have prevented the substantial waste of prosecution prices.’
The case bears similarities to that of Ryder Cup successful golfer Olesen who final month was additionally discovered not responsible of a sequence of expenses after consuming alcohol, together with taking his girlfriend’s Ambien pill on a British Airways flight.
The case bears similarities to that of Ryder Cup successful golfer Thorbjorn Olesen (pictured) who final month was additionally discovered not responsible of a sequence of expenses after consuming alcohol, together with taking his girlfriend’s Ambien pill on a British Airways flight
The 31-year-old Dane stated he was ’embarrassed and ashamed’ by accounts of what occurred on board the flight after he awoke with no reminiscence.
He was discovered not responsible for sexual assault and assault by beating, whereas the choose discharged the third depend of being drunk on an plane.
In 2002, REM guitarist Peter Buck was additionally cleared of occurring a drunken rampage aboard a British Airways airplane through which he sprayed flight attendants with the contents of a pot of yoghurt.
The jury discovered him not responsible of being charged with being drunk on an plane, two counts of widespread assault, and one cost of damaging BA crockery.
He didn’t deny his behaviour, however claimed an Ambien sleeping tablet reacted violently with alcohol – turning him right into a ‘non-insane automaton’.