Jetstar midair fracas - corporate media (deliberate?) porky pies?

So here we have a quite 'plausible' story from the news team at Rupert Murdoch's new empire from a publication called the Herald Sun.

A bunch of idiots on a plane who got into a brawl, it sounds quite simple, and from 'judging' of the characters, quite accurate, or is it?

There's is one line that stands out a fair bit and that is:

"Mr Beecham, whose partner was waiting for him at the airport, told reporters the media had “got it all wrong”....."

The following text (pictures omitted from the original article) is from 23 July 2016 by news.com.au of the headline:

Jetstar midair fracas: Brawling mates land back in Australia

THE six Australian men involved in the mile-high Jetstar brawl have arrived back home, but their nightmare is not over yet after their holiday plans were cut short by a midair fracas of their own making.

The group have been immediately banned from flying with Jetstar or Qantas.

Three of the six men, Brett Eldridge, Bradley Beecham, and Lynmin Waharai, were escorted back to Sydney Airport by Jetstar staff overnight and arrived early this morning.

Brett Eldridge, who also arrived back at Sydney international airport. Picture: Carly EarlSource:News Corp Australia

The other three men, Mark Rossiter, Ricky William and Michael Matthews, emerged from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport about 12.20am, almost two hours after their flight landed.

They are all facing a claim for tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for the cost of the diversion and escort back home.

Mr Beecham, whose partner was waiting for him at the airport, told reporters the media had “got it all wrong” before apologising to passengers on-board the flight.

“I’m sorry for the stress to all the passengers on the flight. I’m sorry for what happened ... 100 per cent,” he said.

“It looked bad, but there was more to the story. No one knows the truth.

“You can only try to prevent it the best you can.”

News Corp Australia understands they had been spoken to by border force officials.

Officials briefly escorted Michael Matthews just outside the airport so he could smoke a cigarette.

Sporting sunglasses to hide bruising, he and Ricky Longmuir later attempted to hide their faces as they jumped in a taxi.

A source told The Herald Sun the men were “pretty embarrassed” by the ordeal.

A woman who was on the same flight as the Australians said Jetstar staff in Bali had been snapping photos of them as they boarded the plane.

The group — from Sydney, Bathurst, the Sunshine Coast and Townsville — looked chastened when they boarded their flights in Bali.

Jetstar had sent security from Sydney to escort the group home on two separate flights.

Sporting a black eye, Michael Matthews, kept his sunglasses on as he was lead to the plane, lifting them only at the request of the officials who were returning his passport.

A work colleague of Brad Beecham, at Beecham Concreting in Bathurst, said he was okay after having spent a night in Bali custody but maintained he was not involved in the punch up which saw their Phuket bound flight diverted to Bali to offload them.

Michael Matthews, Lynmin Waharai and Mark Rossiter on board Jetstar plane from Sydney to Thailand. Picture: Michael Matthews, FacebookSource:Facebook

Witnesses have described that two of the group were the protagonists and that others had stayed in the background as one rowdy passenger in the group was punched three times in the face by his mate.

Matthews posted images on his Facebook page of some of the group on the plane, shortly before takeoff from Sydney.

Footage emerges of those involved in Jetstar brawl

It seems their ill-fated trip to Phuket was first conceived back in April when Matthews posted to Facebook that he was going on an overseas trip with a few Sydney mates in the next months. He told anyone else who might want to join to message him.

Then in mid June he advertised one spot left for the Thailand trip.

Another of the group, also in the concreting industry, is believed to live in Townsville while others are in Sydney.

The six mates — Australians Beecham, Matthews, Ricky Longmuir, Mark Rossiter, Brett Eldrige and New Zealander Lynmin Waharai — were off-loaded from their Jetstar flight at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport after the brawl caused the pilot to divert the flight from its course to Phuket.

After the group was taken off, by police and army officials, the flight then continued to Phuket.

And the men spent two days and a night in Immigration Holding room at the airport. The room had couches but no beds.

The group escaped any charges or sanctions in Indonesia but Jetstar has not ruled out forcing them to pay the cost of the diversion and landing, which could run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

The Australian Federal Police says it is aware of the case but given it is in the hands of Indonesian authorities would not comment further.

Three of the group — Matthews, Longmuir and Rossiter — were flown from Bali to Melbourne on a Jetstar flight departing Denpasar at 2.45pm local time yesterday and were due to arrive in Australia last night. They were accompanied by two Jetstar security officials.

The other three — Beecham, Eldrige and Lynmin — were due to arrive in Sydney this morning (sat) on a flight which left Denpasar at 10.35pm local time last night. They too were accompanied by two Jetstar officials.

The general manager of Bali airport, Trikora Harjo, said yesterday the group was being accompanied on their return flights by security.

“To prevent other fights, security from Australia have arrived last night. They will escort them while on board,” Mr Harjo said.

Jetstar trouble makers at Denpasar Airport in Bali. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied