Drunk Israeli on a plane ordered to pay €1,000 in fines

An inebriated Israeli man has been ordered to pay a fine for using excessive force to wake his equally-drunk wife up on a flight.

Boris Sapoznikov, 52, downed an entire bottle of duty-free vodka with his wife before slamming her head against the seat in front to wake up from a drunken slumber.

The couple had just landed in Malta when the incident occurred. Sapoznikov later pleaded not guilty, telling the Maltese court: “I was drunk but I didn’t harm anyone.”

Magistrate Scerri Herrera said he was not charged with causing harm but with other offences, leading to fines of about €1,000, to which Sapoznikov replied: “I do not have that money.” He later pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a lesser fine.