Malta
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Israeli detained in Malta after getting drunk on plane, violently waking wife up
Russian-born Israeli national and his wife got drunk from vodka bottle they purchased at the duty free; when the plane landed, the husband slammed his wife's head into the seat to wake her up.
An Israeli couple on its way to Malta spent the first day of their vacation at court after the husband, who drank vodka on the plane, allegedly used excessive force to wake up his wife, who was also reportedly drunk.
The Israeli, 52, eventually paid a 450 GBP fine after admitting to "endangering another person on a plane while intoxicated."
According to the story on Maltan media, which made headlines in the international press as well, the Israeli couple bought a bottle of vodka at the duty free in Ben Gurion International Airport.
When they landed on the island, the husband, who was unable to wake his wife up in more conventional ways, allegedly slammed her head into the seat in front of her.
The wife was unhurt, and did not file a complaint against her husband. However, he was detained for using "excessive force" to wake his wife up, and was brought in front of a judge.
The Israeli refused to appoint a lawyer to represent him, and at first denied the allegations.
The husband, who made aliyah from Russia, said at court with the help of an interpreter: "I was drunk, but I did not harm anymore."
At first, the husband was required to pay a 1,000 GBP fine. "I came to Malta on vacation, I don't want to go to jail. When you said 1,000 pounds, I thought, 'I don't have that money,'" the Israeli man told the prosecutor.
But moments before the court was to make a decision on whether to place him under arrest, the Israeli changed his mind and agreed to pay the fine in an effort to avoid further hassle.
Media in Malta said the case was yet another example of a legal problem in the country that requires foreign nationals accused of minor crimes to pay a fine, even if they are innocent.
