A man was arrested during the early hours of this morning (Thursday, October 15) following two incidents in which a laser pen beam was directed at the Hampshire police aircraft.
The 25-year-old was detained by police on the ground, who were directed to a residential address in Fareham by officers in the constabulary's fixed wing aircraft.
The man was arrested shortly before 1am, after two incidents between 11:30pm and 1am in which a high powered green laser beam was shone directly at the aircraft as it flew overhead.
It follows several similar incidents which had taken place from the same location over a number of months.
Last night's incident was caught on camera using thermal imagery, and a laser pen later recovered.
Richard Peter Wakeman, 25, of The Cloisters, Fareham, has been charged with three counts of endangering an aircraft, under the provisions of the Air Navigation Order 2005, Article 73.
He has been bailed to appear at Fareham Magistrates Court on October 29.
PC Andy Sparshott, from the Air Support Unit, said: "This is a really serious issue which can cause temporary blindness to pilots and crew, the potential implications of which are extremely grave.
"While the use of laser pens against all aircraft types might appear harmless to some, the consequences of endangering the safety of an aircraft this way could be catastrophic.
"This is also a criminal offence which the justice system takes very seriously and offenders could receive a custodial sentence.
"Although the purchase of laser pens is not illegal itself, the reckless use of them towards aircraft, vehicles or people is. We urge everyone who is in possession of a laser pen to be more responsible with them and encourage others to do so too."
http://www.hampshire.police.uk/