By Riley Walter and Perry Duffin
A former baggage handler has pleaded guilty to threatening aviation security after a social media stunt in which he filmed himself working out topless inside an aeroplane turbine.
Australian Federal Police officers charged Preslie Ginoski after the 23-year-old posted footage of the stunt to social media.
Former baggage handler Preslie Ginoski has been charged over a social media stunt in which he allegedly filmed himself working out inside a plane turbine at Sydney Airport.Credit: TikTok
Police allege Ginoski used his position as a baggage handler to “exploit” Sydney airport’s restricted area in January to “capture videos of himself removing his clothing and posing inside the turbine of a stationary aircraft before uploading the footage”.
Investigators interviewed Ginoski, who regularly posts fitness content and topless photos to his Instagram and TikTok accounts, at Sydney Airport in February, allegedly finding six videos related to the stunt on his devices.
He was charged with threatening aviation security and failing to display security identification in an airside security zone.
Ginoski faced Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to both charges. He was convicted and fined a total of $2400 and released.
In February, Ginoski defended the stunt, telling the Daily Mail he “just wanted people to get a laugh about it”.
Ginoksi regularly posts fitness content on social media.Credit: Instagram
Ginoski said the plane was parked at the time of the stunt and wouldn’t be moving until the following day.
“A lot of people have missed the fact that it was totally safe,” he said.
Ginoski said he had filmed the stunt last year and uploaded it to social media in January after leaving his employment at the airport.
Preslie Ginoski will face court today over the stunt.Credit: tiktok.com/@whoisprez
Davina Copelin, the AFP’s Sydney Airport police commander, said police would not tolerate security breaches that could compromise airport security “no matter how harmless they may seem”.
Sydney Airport’s head of security, Graham White, said there was a “zero-tolerance policy for unsafe behaviour” at the airport.
“The safety of passengers, airport staff and airport operations is our top priority, and we have stringent protocols in place to uphold all safety policies,” he said.
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