A South Korean man who poured petrol over himself and waved around a lighter at Cairns airport did so after all his possessions were stolen at the end of the "holiday of a lifetime", a court has heard.
Hanback Chae sparked mass panic at the Cairns domestic terminal in July after he poured five litres of petrol over himself and waved around a lighter while demanding to speak to Jetstar's chief executive.
He had missed an earlier flight and returned to the airport several hours later after buying petrol from a service station.
The 28-year-old, who pleaded guilty, has faced a sentencing hearing in the District Court in Cairns.
Defence barrister Michael Dalton said while Chae's actions were "no doubt stupid and ill-conceived" it was "an overly dramatic protest" against Jetstar which got out of control.
Furthermore, there was no intention to hurt other people.
Chae had been on the "holiday of a lifetime" in Australia, but it soured when all his possessions were stolen towards the end of the trip, the court heard.
His family had sent him money for a plane ticket home.
Chae was described in court as a gentle soul by all accounts and his actions were wildly out of character.
"I was angry at the big company, not persons or people, I love persons, I love people," he told police in an interview.
Thousands evacuated over the incident
Commonwealth prosecutor Kate Milbourne said about 2,000 people were evacuated from the terminal and 12 flights were delayed.
In CCTV footage played to the court, passengers were seen fleeing in terror.
"People were falling over, screaming, running through the barriers and baggage was abandoned," Ms Milbourne told the court.
"The security screening point and airside areas were breached as people, running in fear, to escape the threat were unable to be stopped."
She said the incident occurred on the last Friday of the school holidays when the terminal was very busy and described Chae's breach of the Crimes (Aviation) Act as "very serious".
Chae has been remanded in custody until his sentencing hearing resumes on Friday 24 September.
He pleaded guilty to disrupting services and endangering people's safety at an airport, which could lead to a 14 year sentence.
The Cairns judge who oversaw the matter said he needed more to time to consider the "very unusual" case.
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