Man handed 2 charges after allegedly becoming abusive, causing ruckus at airport over lost phone

SINGAPORE - A man who was about to fly to London

allegedly created a ruckus at Changi Airport

when he was told he could not leave the gate-hold room to look for his misplaced mobile phone.

Richard Michael Roll Burridge, 57, was charged with one count each of harassment and mischief on March 17, a little over a week after he allegedly committed the offences.

He is expected to plead guilty on March 20.

According to court documents, the Briton allegedly abused a woman with vulgar language at gate-hold room B5 at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on the evening of March 7.

He is also accused of kicking a wall panel of a nearby aerobridge, damaging it.

The police said in an earlier statement that Burridge was boarding a London-bound plane at the terminal when he realised that he had misplaced his mobile phone.

Details about the carrier were not disclosed in court documents.

According to the police, Burridge left the aircraft as he wanted a look for the device at an airport lounge he had visited earlier.

An airline employee at the gate-hold room subsequently told him that lounge employees could not locate the phone there.

As it was close to the scheduled departure time of the flight, the employee also informed him that he would be offloaded from the plane if he were to leave the gate-hold room.

“He then allegedly responded with a slew of abusive and derogatory words, and as he walked away towards the aircraft, he kicked and damaged a wall panel of the aerobridge,” the police added.

Burridge was eventually offloaded from the flight, and the police were alerted on March 8.

If convicted of harassment, he can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.

Offenders convicted of mischief can be jailed for up to two years and fined.