By Eric King-
A British man has been jailed for pointing a laser to a police helicopter. Neil Lanham, 50, of Woburn Road, was arrested after he was seen by the crew of the aircraft pointing a laser beam in their direction during the incident in September. The crew then saw Lanham attempting to dispose of the laser by throwing it in a neighbour’s garden.
Officers on the ground arrested him once he was identified and he eventually pleaded guilty for the offence. He was sentenced on November 26 to four months imprisonment. PC Adam Geary, who led the investigation, said: “Pointing a beam of a laser at any vehicle or aircraft is extremely dangerous. When the laser hits the cockpit of an aircraft the crew can get momentarily disoriented, which can have disastrous consequences.
“We want to make it clear that this should not be done for any reason and especially not for fun.
“Police helicopters are fitted with high-tech equipment and can observe and describe the perpetrator in detail, as well as track their movement and any attempts to discard the laser.