Man Who Was Arrested for 'Excessively' Kissing, Fondling Partner During Flight Receives Sentence By Michael Nied

A New Zealand man was sentenced after being arrested for “excessively” kissing and fondling a partner while on a flight.

On Sept. 29, 30-year-old Reuben Jeremy Finn appeared in Nelson District Court, where he was sentenced to 6 months of community detention and 12 months of intensive supervision, according to reporting by The New Zealand Herald and New Zealand outlet The Press.

The sentence came after he and his 32-year-old partner, Bronte LeLievre, were arrested while flying between Auckland and Nelson on Nov. 13, 2024.

While on the domestic flight alongside 48 other passengers and two flight attendants, Finn and LeLievre were repeatedly asked to stop intense public displays of affection, which flight attendants said were making others uncomfortable.

After being asked to stop once, Finn placed his hand inside LeLievre’s bra. The couple reportedly pretended to be asleep when they were approached by a flight attendant.

They were arrested, and both “admitted” to the charges, per The New Zealand Herald. The duo was charged with performing an indecent act in a public place.

While in court, Finn was concurrently charged with two counts of shoplifting, theft at a dwelling and possession of methamphetamine utensils, according to The Press.

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He appeared in front of Judge Garry Barkle, who said that the couple caused “much embarrassment and discomfort” via their actions. The judge noted that Finn had 21 previous convictions, which he had accrued from 2016 to 2024.

Community detention is comparable to a curfew and “requires an offender to remain at an approved residence at certain times specified by the court,” according to New Zealand’s Department of Corrections.

Finn’s conviction will leave him confined at home between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time, The Press reported.

The department noted that intensive supervision is a type of “community-based rehabilitation sentence.”

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Intensive supervision is “imposed if the court deems that a sentence of intensive supervision would reduce the likelihood of someone offending again by supporting their rehabilitation needs and reintegration back into the community.”

In court, Finn’s lawyer Steven Zindel noted that he struggled with addiction and was described as appearing “quite high” by the flight attendants at the time of his arrest. Finn also reportedly had a “significant” struggle with gambling.

LeLievre will return to court for her sentencing in November.

PEOPLE contacted Air New Zealand, the Nelson District Court, the New Zealand Police and Finn’s lawyer, Steven Zindel, for comment on the incident, but they did not immediately respond.