EXCLUSIVE Police warn Australian partner whose plane hoax went horribly wrong

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Test ^{No place for a jester.}

A partner at Australian firm Corrs who resigned after playing a prank on a plane has been let off by police with an infringement notice, RollOnFriday can confirm.

Last Thursday Chris Allen and his colleagues boarded a mid-morning Virgin flight from Sydney to Tasmania for a conference.

Allen, a private equity specialist, decided a practical joke would help pass the time, so he went to the loo and scribbled a note.

Allen then attempted to draw attention to a colleague sitting in another row, but his note was obtained by cabin crew who were sufficiently alarmed by its contents that they alerted the pilots.

RollOnFriday was unable to confirm a rumour that Allen had written, “I am being held against my will. Send help”.

At the end of the two hour flight the plane was greeted at Hobart airport by fire engines and police.

“Drama at hobart airport with police and firies on tarmac to meet virgin plane,” a person at the scene tweeted while she was waiting for a delayed flight. “A passenger was taken into custody but no idea beyond that”.

The Corrs One was released but the firm appears to have gone ballistic as Allen has now lost his job.

“We can confirm that there was an incident involving a Corrs partner on a flight to Hobart on Thursday,” a Corrs spokesperson said.

“The individual concerned is co-operating with authorities, has taken full responsibility and has tendered his resignation, which has been accepted.”

Allen faced police action as well. "A 42 year old Sydney man will be proceeded against for offences relating to an incident onboard a flight last Thursday", a spokesperson for Tasmanian Police told ROF.

"Police initially responded to a concern for welfare report regarding a person on board a flight from Sydney to Hobart. Subsequent investigations determined the matter to be a hoax", they said.

"Members of the public are reminded that any incident, including those on board aircraft, is taken extremely seriously by Tasmania Police."

The police action could have comprised a fine or charges, according to the spokesperson, but in the end Allen received a minor infringement notice, said a source with knowledge of the matter.

Allen's in good, or at least affluent, company. Last year police escorted a barrister off a BA flight following a row with flight attendants over the correct seat for his children's nanny.

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Comments

This is absolutely hilarious. What a massive chump.

Pretty rough for him to lose his job over it, though.

His unfunny note came true, so that's something.

Remember, air travel is a humour-free zone (like the current woke law firm environment).

It's like ticking "Yes" on the "Are you a terrorist?" box when you fly to the US. They just don't get the bantz.

What can you say? I mean I would rather hang out with this guy for a beer than the 99% of the legal profession that wouldn’t even consider a prank of this nature.

But equally i would prefer to instruct that 99%…

Remember, air travel is a humour-free zone (like the current woke law firm environment).

It's like ticking "Yes" on the "Are you a terrorist?" box when you fly to the US. They just don't get the bantz.

=====================

This, 100%. Once, as a student, fed up with delays at Chicago airport, when i was being secondary searched for the third time between flights, I not unreasonably asked the third goon if he had found the semtex and drugs yet? Bad mistake, immediately, gun pulled, and UP AGAINST THE WALL SIR spread-eagled and roared at for 5 minutes. Nutter. Americans do not have a gallows sense of humour, as i learned. Only banter when you’re in a banter context was my take-away from that particular encounter. I feel for the poor guy here, what a bunch of humourless stiffs.

Ah yes, a commercial airliner – always the preferred location for *hilarious* practical jokes.

Practical jokers (as with private equity lawyers) always crave attention though, so I guess Mr Allen will be delighted.

Was he so sleep deprived from working on a transaction that he lost his mind?

Madness to toss his career away like that.

I have a friend who likes to make risque comments at borders. Once at security about how something would probably look like a bomb on scanners Thankfully no one else heard, but I explained to him why it was a deeply stupid thing to say.

Then more recently when my passport wouldn't scan he made a jokey comment about having my fake passport found out. Thankfully the border guard either didn't hear or chose not to hear, but FFS. I had a proper go as soon as we were past border control and said I wouldn't travel with him again if he couldn't keep his mouth shut at borders and security.

It can all be very funny, right up until you end up in a room being interrogated for two hours.

I found a similar note in the toilets at our place of work

Travelling around the Far-East (in the late 1980s) and being annoyed by the pointless border control paperwork - I took to writing in the box marked "Occupation":

"International Drugs Dealer".

I sailed through every border - but I was VERY young.

NOT a 42-year-old partner in an Australian law firm = Would you instruct a c*ck with "Bantz" like this?!