Elderly man reprimanded for holding knife on plane

An elderly doctor has been admonished by a court for taking a box cutter with him on a long-haul flight to treat his skin condition, causing hours of delays for hundreds of fellow passengers.

Adrian Francis Rodney Russell was spotted with the potential weapon at Sydney International Airport on July 23, 2024, as his United Airlines plane taxied to the runway to depart for Los Angeles.

The 75-year-old removed the knife from his black toiletry bag, where it was placed along with his medication, and placed it on the tray in front of his seat.

It was spotted and confiscated by a passing flight attendant, who passed it on to US air marshals on board the plane.

The device contained a 3-inch blade, according to an agreed statement of facts filed in court.

“(The) knife contained a significant amount of dirty marks,” the document said.

The plane was returned to the terminal, all passengers had to be re-screened by security and police searched the plane for other prohibited items, delaying departure by two hours and 40 minutes.

Australian Federal Police officers interviewed Russell, who was charged with possession of a prohibited item on board an aircraft.

The 75-year-old doctor, who runs a pathology clinic from his home in Terrigal, on the NSW central coast, pleaded guilty in September.

He appeared from his home via video link for sentencing at Downing Center Local Court on Tuesday, with numerous works of art on display behind him.

Russell told police he only noticed the knife when he opened his medicine bag on the plane.

He said he used the knife to open letters and as a “basic scratching instrument” to remove scabs and dead skin cells from his hand and arm due to a dermatitis-like condition.

His lawyer Kim Stapleton and Crown prosecutor Kristen Wakefield agreed that Russell did not need to be convicted of the crime.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson agreed and ruled the crime had been proven, but dismissed the case without conviction.

When sentencing, she took into account his age, complete lack of criminal history, good character, cooperation with the authorities and remorse.

Although the AFP had done their job well in taking these types of offenses seriously and charging Russell, Atkinson said his actions were at the low end of seriousness.

But she still reprimanded the 75-year-old, telling him to be extra careful when checking his carry-on luggage before boarding a flight.

“It’s just not appropriate to have these things on an airplane,” she said.

The maximum penalty for this violation is a $6,260 fine.