Man dies after being restrained by passengers and aircrew when he became disruptive on Jet2 flight
A man has died after being restrained on a Jet2 flight from Cyprus to Manchester after he was allegedly being 'disruptive'.
Callum Kerr, 35, had allegedly been drinking heavily before boarding the flight from Larnaca on 21 June, and passengers have claimed that he argued with his girlfriend until cabin crew moved her to another seat.
Those on board the plane also claimed that he then started pacing the aisle and shouting at other people on board the five hour flight, alleging that he went on to headbutt another passenger and threatened to have a fight with others.
Two passengers told Talk to the Press that several travellers on board the flight restrained Kerr until the aircraft landed at Manchester Airport at 2:25am on Monday (22 June).
A passenger said: "There was a lot of panic, you don't know what people might attempt to do on an airplane. My daughter was with us; she was getting panicked and upset by it all.
"There were a few panicked children on the plane, too, and the air hostesses were crying. It was a difficult situation; there was a lot of panic and confusion when we were up in the air."
Another claimed that Kerr had been 'getting increasingly aggressive', alleging that the man 'was walking up and down the flight banging on the overhead cabins'.
They claimed that during the flight 'some guy locked eyes with him' and got headbutted', saying that cabin crew 'asked if any big lads could help' and that 'around three or four passengers were pinning him down'.
"We landed at Manchester, it went silent, he had been shouting for the whole flight, and then he was silent," they said.
"When we touched down, the police came onto the flight, they ran to the back of the plane, shut the curtain, and we could see them doing CPR.
"One of the police officers rushed through with a defib, and another officer ran through with a medical bag.
"They wouldn't let anyone off the plane for a good hour, until they rushed us all onto coaches into a deserted room and wouldn't let us leave without giving a statement."
When police officers boarded the plane they handcuffed Kerr, and it 'quickly became apparent he was unresponsive', with them performing CPR on him and requesting a defibrillator.
Greater Manchester Police said the man had been taken to hospital after becoming 'critically ill'.
A police spokesperson said: "An investigation is underway after a man became critically ill following reports that the same individual had been aggressive and disruptive towards a passenger and crew members on a flight heading into Manchester Airport.
"At around 2:25am we were called to reports of an assault that had taken place on a flight from Larnaca, Cyprus.
"Officers attended and located a man who had been restrained. The man – in his 30s - was taken to hospital due to his condition."
As part of their statement police said that the man had been in 'a stable but critical condition', and Kerr's family have since told the Manchester Evening News he died on the Tuesday afternoon.
They said: "Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold."
Greater Manchester Police say the matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who said they would 'look at the actions and decision-making of the officers involved to understand the events surrounding the man's death'.
On Tuesday a spokesperson for Jet2, said: "We can confirm that flight LS966 from Larnaca to Manchester requested a priority landing yesterday morning, due to a disruptive passenger incident.
"We can confirm that a passenger has been taken to hospital. As an investigation is underway, it would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment at this time."
Joe Harker