Man hijacks jeep and drives it inches under packed Thomas Cook plane

Stock photo: PA

A man hijacked a security jeep and drove it under a packed Thomas Cook plane at Cork Airport, missing it by inches, a court has been told.

Edmond Stapleton, 38, is accused of attacking Garda Michael Bohane with a knife while he sat in traffic on Patrick Street in Cork.

He allegedly threatened to kill him, slashing at his throat, chin and lips. But Garda Bohane escaped, and Mr Stapleton then drove the jeep to Cork Airport, where he reportedly rammed through a fence and on to the runway.

Prosecutor Pierce Sreenan said Mr Stapleton then got out of the jeep, stripped to his underwear and started driving around the runway.

According to The Sun, Mr Sreenan said: "Then an event occurred which could've been catastrophic.

"He drove the jeep under the fuselage of an aircraft which was not only fully fueled but fully boarded by holiday-makers about to fly with Thomas Cooke. He missed it by inches."

He added that Mr Stapleton was heading for another plane when he came to a stop after crashing the jeep.

Garda Bohane told the court yesterday: "In a split second Stapleton jumped into my jeep on top of me completely restraining me. He was shouting he was a f***ing Army ranger. He was roaring at me.

"He said on a number of occasions 'today is the day you are going to die', that he was going to kill me. I genuinely believed he was going to kill me."

Stapleton is pleading not guilty to five counts of criminal damage, three of dangerous driving, two of unlawful possession of motor vehicles, one of assault causing harm and one of threatening to kill.

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