Italian spared jail after writing ‘attention ebola’ on coffee cup

An Italian businessman has been spared jail for making a joke about the ebola virus to his daughter on an Aer Lingus flight.

Judge Anthony Halpin said that, given the seriousness of the ebola virus, Mr Binaschi’s prank was a “sick joke” and comparable to a bomb scare.

However, he noted that Mr Binaschi was apologetic and had offered to pay €2,500 to charity. Judge Halpin directed that the money should go to the Capuchin Day Centre, which helps homeless people in inner-city Dublin, and he applied section 11 of the Probation Offenders Act.

This means Mr Binaschi, who did not comment after the case, has been spared a criminal record as well as a possible prison term.

At about 1pm on Thursday, emergency services, including gardaí, Dublin Airport Police, and the HSE, sprang into action after the alarm was raised on flight EI 433, from Milan to Dublin.

A flight attendant had found a cup marked ‘attenzione ebola’ and the captain contacted Dublin Airport Authority, which immediately initiated emergency protocols.

On landing, the plane carrying 142 passengers, was sealed off for just over an hour while medical tests were carried out. After screening, it was established that there was no trace of the deadly virus on board.

Three passengers, two women aged 51 and 23, and Mr Binaschi were arrested and brought to Ballymun Garda Station.

The two women were later released without charge but Mr Binaschi, from Corso Argentina, Vigeavano, near Milan, in northern Italy, was held overnight and brought before Dublin District Court yesterday morning.

He admitted engaging in threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour on an aeroplane contrary to the Air Navigation and Transport Act.

Judge Halpin was told that Mr Binaschi had taken a sip from his daughter’s cup about 20 minutes before landing.

“After taking a drink, he then wrote ‘attenzione ebola’ on the lid and handed it to his daughter.” She finished the drink and the cup was then dumped.

On arrest, he immediately admitted he had been joking with his daughter when he wrote the words and he expressed regret for the disturbance.

Defence solicitor Michelle Finan said her client was a company director who had come to Dublin for a business conference; he was a man of good standing who trades with Ireland and hopes to “create jobs”.

She said the offence was “skirting on the reckless end”. Pleading with the court to spare him a criminal record, she told Judge Halpin her client’s business friends had collected €2,500 to be donated to charity. In response to the mitigation plea, Judge Halpin said: “I cannot think of a more serious offence given the present- day fear of ebola.

“I was just thinking, how serious is this offence? It is only comparable with someone writing on a napkin, ‘there is a bomb on the plane’, that is how serious.”

After the charitable donation was offered, the judge applied the Probation Act, saying Mr Binaschi, “is getting a chance today. It is a very serious matter but I think the message has gone out”.