SCOTLAND'S former top law officer, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, has been charged over an alleged disturbance on board an evening flight from London, it emerged last night.
The former Conservative Lord Advocate and architect of the report into the Scottish Parliament building debacle faces criminal action over the incident on the ScotAirways flight to Dundee.
Lord Fraser, the ex-MSP for Angus South, was detained at Dundee airport on Tuesday night after a complaint was believed to have been made by a female f light attendant about a disruptive passenger.
However, Lewis Moonie, former Labour MP for Kirkcaldy who is now in the House of Lords, defended Lord Fraser after travelling on the flight with him. He said it had been a "gross over-reaction" by ScotAirways.
Other passengers on the flight from London's City Airport were allowed to disembark while Lord Fraser was asked to remain on board.
He was interviewed at the airport before being taken to force headquarters at Bell Street in Dundee.
A spokeswoman for Tayside Police confirmed only that a 61-year-old man had been charged following an incident at Dundee airport on Tuesday and a report submitted to the procurator-fiscal. Flights between Dundee and London City Airport had been disrupted on Tuesday because of fog in the south of England.
The northbound flight due to arrive in Dundee at 6pm was cancelled because of the weather and passengers were reallocated to the later flight arriving at 9.20pm. It was this flight that was met by police.
Lord Moonie said he had been "stunned" by Lord Fraser's detention. He said his colleague had a full price, return ticket which gave you a seat at the front. However, he claimed that Lord Fraser had been made to sit at the back after turning up at the last minute.
Lord Moonie said: "He was perfectly good-natured . . . He just wanted an explanation. As far as I saw, there was no air rage."
Lord Moonie said Lord Fraser had not been drinking.
A spokesman for ScotAirways said: "Any incidents on aircraft are taken very seriously."
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