Hmmm sounds like the passenger who reported this to the media may have exaggerated just a bit, as usual for passengers blabbing to the papers. Lines of 10 or 15? A woman screaming?
I can actually believe the man peeing in the sick bag, because some people would be a bit frightened for the trouble they may get in from the crew or for their safety if they got up while the seatbelt sign was on.
But passengers are NOT prisoners in their seats, if someone has THAT much of a pressing urge to go to the toilet and we're not at a critical stage of flight like 30 seconds from touchdown or still in a very steep climb after takeoff then I will let them do their business if they persist/insist.
You can only firmly tell a passenger(s) once to take their seat, for their own safety and for the safety of those around them, before it becomes an action at their own risk. And cabin crew certainly won't get up out of their seats to restrain anyone if the seatbelt sign is on (unless a threat to security). I had a woman come bolting down to the aft galley just the other day (and it was late in the climb, seatbelt sign probably not too far from being switched off) and I quickly told her to resume her seat immediately and she said "sorry, I
have to go to the toilet - TRUST me", so what are you to say in that situation? She's taking her own risk, and it could be avoiding an otherwise messy situation.
I think the particular passenger in this report is just being a bit whingey, and the SMH thought another negative story about QF wouldn't go astray! lol.
