A Texas businessman "woke up handcuffed in utter terror" on board a transatlantic flight having no idea that he was at the centre of an air rage incident, Ennis District Court has heard.
Judge John O'Neill ordered 40-year-old Houston businessman, Stephen Herring to pay €500 to the Clare Crusaders' Children's Clinic.
Mr Herring pleaded guilty to three separate air rage charges from last Saturday.
He pleaded guilty to engaging in behaviour likely to cause serious offence or annoyance to any person on board the aircraft; engaging in behaviour of a threatening, abusive or insulting nature with intent to cause a breach of the peace and being intoxicated on board the Shannon-bound United Airlines flight contrary to the Air Navigation and Transport Act.
Judge O'Neill described Mr Herring's behaviour on board the Newark to Shannon flight as "obnoxious", but said he would strike out the charges after the receipt of €500 that was later paid into court.
Insp Tom Kennedy said that Mr Herring had to be restrained by airline staff and eventually handcuffed after becoming aggressive and obnoxious to cabin crew and passengers around him.
He said: "Mr Herring was obnoxious to people around him to say the least. Both the captain and the passenger sitting closest to him said that he was acting irrationally."
Insp Kennedy said that cabin crew felt that Mr Herring was disorientated.
The court heard that Mr Herring, who now runs his family-owned firm that employs 13 people, mixed drink with an Ambien sleeping tablet.
Solicitor for Mr Herring, Aoife Corridan, said that he "completely blacked out and remembers nothing" after taking the Ambien sleeping tablet with alcohol already in his system as the plane departed Newark for Shannon.
In court today, Ms Corridan said that the medical literature on Ambien warns against consuming with alcohol as mixing with drink "affects the central nervous system, impairs judgement, thinking and psycho motor skills".
Ms Corridan said that Mr Herring had already consumed a couple of drinks on the Texas to Newark part of his journey before boarding the Shannon flight.
She said that after taking the Ambien "his next memory is waking up in handcuffs in utter terror".
Ms Corridan said that Mr Herring has no recollection of his actions on the flight, "but is utterly appalled and very remorseful after being told about what he did".
She said: "It is something that is entirely out of character and the only explanation is the combination of the Ambien and the alcohol."
Ms Corridan said that Mr Herring "should have properly heeded the warning on Ambien and not consumed alcohol and he wouldn't have found himself in this sitiuation".
Ms Corridan said that Mr Herring is a single father who shares joint custody of his nine-year-old daughter.
She said that she had 15 references to hand into court from people very concerned about him. She said: "They are utterly shocked to hear of the situation."
Insp Kennedy said that the air rage offence committed by Mr Herring, who is on a week-long holiday in Ireland with three friends, was at the lower end of the scale.
He said: "This was a scheduled flight into Shannon. Many of these incidents result in flights being diverted which causes huge cost ot all and sundry. However, in this case, that was avoided because it was going to Shannon anyway."
Judge John O'Neill said: "The fact that he was a nervous flyer and took tablets doesn't excuse his behaviour. I wouldn't have enjoyed being a passenger on that flight."
"It is not the most serious matter in the world. It is easy for me to say that, I wasn't a passenger on the flight."
Mr Herring declined to comment after court.
