Having read a few of these 'yobs do unimaginable things' threads, I am always amused as the resident huggy fluffies jump to the defence of the poor underprivileged little darlings.
I was also amused at the inference that the tragic misunderstood young perpetrator had mis-identified the aircraft as a police helicopter and that this made his actions excusable.
There is no excuse for commiting a criminal offence and this 'person', if caught, should feel the full force of the law.
Unfortunately, and this is where I understand Capetonian's frustration, the full force of the law in this case would probably be a gentle slap on the wrist which sends out the signal to other yobs that this sort of behaviour is ok. I hope whoever it was that said no accident has ever occured because of shining a laser into a pilot's eyes, does not come back to haunt you. Having seen the effect of a green laser on NVGs whilst low level, I personally think a serious accident is only a matter of time.