SYDNEY—Australian officials on Friday were considering how to deport a British man convicted of murdering his Filipino wife after he was pulled from two commercial flights for reportedly spitting at crew and screaming abuse after boarding.
Keith Herring ripped a telephone from the seat of a plane and urinated in a holding cell as officials attempted to deport him back to England on Thursday, The Australian newspaper said.
It was the second time in as many days that Herring’s removal fell through due to his behavior after plans to put him on another commercial flight failed on Wednesday, the newspaper added.
An immigration official confirmed the two attempts.
‘Most cost-effective way’
“He misbehaved in a range of ways and a decision was made by the (immigration) department in consultation with the airline that we didn’t want to risk any incidents with passengers and crew, so we took him off,” a spokesperson said.
Another spokesperson added that authorities were determined to deport the 66-year-old as quickly as possible and in “the most cost-effective” way but no final decision had been made as yet. Reports said a chartered flight could cost up to $1 million.
Herring received an Australia immigration visa in 1988 despite a long criminal history in Britain, and killed his Filipino wife in their Sydney home a year later.
22-year sentence
He was handed a 22-year sentence for the murder in 1995, along with a two-and-a-half-year term for his behavior during the trial which included exposing himself, calling the prosecutor a “fat slug,” and attempting to attack the judge, the report said.
Immigration authorities canceled Herring’s visa on character grounds, which meant deportation after his release from prison. He has reportedly been held in immigration detention since his release in June.