SEATTLE — A dual citizen of the U.K. and South Africa was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to time served after violently disrupting an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Seattle.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says that on June 19, 2026, James Bradley Noble was intoxicated and assaulted a flight attendant and nearby passengers, requiring crew members to restrain him for hours.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King accepted the recommendation of time served during the sentencing hearing.
Noble, 35, a Northern Ireland resident and licensed pilot, spent about 10 days in custody at the King County Jail and Federal Detention Center before being placed on home detention with electronic monitoring at a rented residence in Seattle.
Noble pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2026, to interference with flight crew members and attendants.
According to the DOJ, Noble was significantly impaired by alcohol and prescription medications he had taken while on the flight.
They say he first attempted to force a pill on the passenger sitting next to him before spilling a drink on her. Noble then went to the galley and grabbed a flight attendant from behind.
As a flight attendant attempted to escort him back to his seat, Noble stumbled into the passenger in front of him, cursed at the person, and violently shook the back of the seat.
Flight attendants had to relocate surrounding passengers and securely restrain Noble to his seat for hours of flight time.
One flight attendant on the Aer Lingus flight reported that passengers “were terrified” by the disruption and that responding to an in-flight emergency would have been difficult during the ordeal.
U.S. District Judge King commended the crew during sentencing. “The flight attendants’ actions were admirable and ensured the safety of all on board,” Judge King said.
Addressing the defendant directly, Judge King added, “Your behavior impacted all the people on the flight.”
In court documents requesting a time-served sentence, federal prosecutors detailed the severity of the offense.
“After consuming a large amount of alcohol and a prescription medication, Mr. Noble became disruptive, threatening to fight other passengers and flight attendants,” prosecutors wrote to the court. “While no one was seriously injured, the seriousness of this behavior should not be minimized. No one should be subject to bad and borderline violent behavior while locked in a metal tube at 30,000 feet, with no way to escape the disruptive behavior. And Mr. Noble certainly should have known better as a licensed pilot himself…. His conviction will doubtless have other collateral consequences on his ability to freely travel and pursue his current employment.”
The DOJ says Noble is expected to voluntarily leave the United States following the sentencing.
They say his felony conviction may prevent him from returning to the U.S. in the future.
Victims of the incident are working to provide information regarding restitution for potential injuries, and a court hearing to determine restitution is scheduled for late October.