Hijack threat man to appeal sentence

A British tourist jailed in Australia for threatening to hijack an aircraft is launching a second appeal against his sentence.

Thomas John Lilico, a 21-year-old student from Darlington, Co Durham, was jailed on January 2 for three months after admitting making a threatening and false statement.

He was also ordered to pay £110 (€180) as a 12 month good behaviour bond.

A special sitting of the Queensland Court of Appeal, the state’s highest appeal court, will be convened next Tuesday so lawyers for Lilico can again argue for his release.

The tourist’s lawyers filed an affidavit today arguing that his sentence was "manifestly excessive".