Mohan Sinha
23 Feb 2026

DUBLIN, Ireland: An Indian computer science graduate was arrested by the Dublin Airport police for assaulting a Dublin Airport police officer at the steps of an aircraft, after he "bullied" Ryanair boarding staff.

The married father of two was found guilty at Dublin District Court on February 19. Judge John Hughes criticized Thomas for his "ignorance, rudeness, and violence."

However, "Frequent flyer", Shine Thomas, 47, denied impeding an authorised officer at the airport and post-arrest violent behaviour at a garda station on August 20th last.

The judge said Thomas was taking his family on holiday to London when he did not follow airport procedures and became uncooperative. The court also heard that some of the incidents happened in front of children.

Dublin Airport Police officer Dean Farrell told the court that Ryanair staff informed him Thomas had not completed the boarding process at the gate in Terminal 1. Instead, he went toward the Ryanair aircraft without permission.

Officer Farrell said he tried to "de-escalate" the situation at the aircraft stairs, but Thomas pushed him. By then, Thomas had already been refused permission to board the plane. He had to be restrained and handcuffed, and was taken by car to a local Garda (police) station.

Thomas, who has lived in Ireland for 10 years, was then placed in a holding cell.

"At this juncture, as I was removing his handcuffs, I was struck by him," Garda Ryan said.

Thomas refused to sign a bail bond, so he was kept in custody until his court hearing, after which he was released.

During the hearing, Thomas told his lawyer that he had suffered broken ribs and had reports to prove it. Later, the judge was told that Thomas had no medical documents.

Thomas, who had no previous convictions, said he travels often, knows the check-in process, and believed an airline staff member should not have placed his passport on the desk. Garda Ryan told him the passport was not at risk of being taken or lost.

Thomas also claimed he was not asked for his personal details when he arrived at the station. Garda Ryan disagreed, saying that collecting details is the first procedure when someone is arrested.

The defence argued that Thomas had the right to resist a lawful arrest. However, Judge Hughes said CCTV footage clearly showed Thomas was causing trouble, not cooperating with the boarding staff, and bullying them.

After being found guilty, Thomas apologised and said he had been off work due to injuries.

His lawyer, Paul Larkin Coyle, described him as highly intelligent and said he holds a postgraduate degree.

Judge Hughes said Thomas did not show much intelligence that day. He described his behavior toward staff who deal with thousands of passengers daily as "outrageous, wrong, and criminal."

The judge said a criminal conviction could affect Thomas's visa status. He postponed sentencing until May and ordered a probation report. He also set conditions, including completing an anger-management course and showing proof of job applications if Thomas has not returned to work by then.