Man Jailed For Lasering Aircraft

[Sunfish]

Three years porridge, a precedent has now been set in Adelaide.


Man jailed over police chopper laser incident

Posted 1 hour 11 minutes ago
Updated 56 minutes ago


A man is jailed for shining a laser at a police helicopter in Adelaide.


A man who deliberately shone a laser light at a police helicopter has been sentenced to nearly three years in jail.

Lanfranco Baldetti, 23, pleaded guilty to prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft and to firearms offences over weapons found in a car.

He admitted shining the laser at police as the helicopter flew over Rosewater in Adelaide last June.

The pilot was temporarily blinded by the light.

Baldetti has been given a jail term of two years and 10 months and will be eligible for release in 10 months.

The judge said Baldetti's actions were a disaster in the making and a potential risk to public safety.

[PlankBlender]

At long last! :D Let's hope lots of other papers pick this up and run with it!!

I was myself painted with a strong white laser over St Kilda/Melbourne on a recent night flight. As the laser was illuminating the underside of the Cessna wing intermittently, I first thought it was the strobes of another aircraft and we were in danger of a mid-air collision -- quite scary! :eek:

I would strongly encourage anyone observing some w:mad:ker pointing a laser at an aircraft from the ground, to call the police or even perform a citizen's arrest and have the f:mad:ing :ugh:reported to and dealt with by police!

[woftam]

Bravo !!!!! :D
The only way these tossers will learn is if a few lengthy jail terms are handed out.
It's just a pity he could be out in 10 months doing it again.

[Starts with P]

I would be interested to know how much of that sentence is for the Laser, and how much for the other "firearms offenses".

[Atlas Shrugged]

They should cut his nuts off!

[Buster Hyman]

They should cut his nuts off!

I would respectfully suggest that he would be lacking in that area...especially if he was confronted by some angry pilots.

[Mr.Buzzy]

Yes those angry pilots would be forced to draft a stern letter or worse yet get the AFAP involved!

bbbbbbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbbbbbbbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[airman1]

Good to hear they are finally getting these little brats,
Just a shame they didn’t make more of an example of him with only 10 months jail. I am pretty sure the breakdown of the jail time would have lead more towards the carriage of the firearms. But what I want to know is what is a 23 year old bloke doing playing with lasers and pointing them at aircraft?? I think they might have to introduce the cane back into school might help these young adults grow up!!!:ugh:
.

[Metro man]

I've had the pleasure of being lasered and am convinced that a smart missile which travels down the beam is the best way of dealing with these f**kwits.:E

[VH-XXX]

Maybe he was going to shoot down the aircraft if the laser didn't do the job.

Shining a laser on the police chopper has to be the dumbest think you could ever do in a lifetime. As if you are going to get away! You have a laser and they have a night-sun!

[Capt Claret]

At the risk of being flamed, I'd be surprised if any, or many, of the laser terrorists, have any real understanding of the potential danger of what they're doing, or any more malicious intent, other than, "wouldn't it be sweet (cool in my day) to shine the laser on the plane? Bet you can't get it!"

[G-ZUZZ]

This is not yet a precedent. You can't judge by what the judge dishes out as a punishment for sticking it to the cops.

[PlankBlender]

Ten News just ran with the story thankfully (sometimes the media is our friend it seems :E), they emphasized the two years ten months sentence and glossed over the "out in ten months" bit and the amount of the sentence attributable to the firearms offence.

A typical private television scaremongering piece, but in this instance very useful and for once very justified. :D

Showed the t:mad:t in the flesh, sporting boots he should be jailed for to begin with :}, and his father telling us he hoped it was a lesson! :ok:

[Buster Hyman]

Yes, I wondered who'd pick up on that Mr Buzzzy....:E

[hoggsnortrupert]

In the USA in 86, a number of cities I would fly into at night, would have the beams of search lights mounted at prominent "night spots", these would "wave" across the sky, and all looked kinda pretty and exciting.

Until the inevitable happened, and I recieved a beam into the windshield that tracked me as I turned final in Witchita Mid Continent, It very nearly got very bloody ugly:

This was from a Night club thingy:

Others that flew for the company had tales of the same happening.

It is my belief that the local FSDO office sought some restriction/education.

Don't know what happens over there now, or what the Law is in this regard.

Interesting all the same, and reminded me of some "interesting seconds" in my career.:ok:


Chr's
H/Snort.

PS: And if I had caught the sod that perpetrated the act! "I would have slotted him, no f-----g Q about it":mad:

[poss]

It seems that owning a green laser is the cool thing at the minute. Here we have had incidents where idiots have stood near a runway at night and shined one at a jets windscreen. Honestly, this world is full of brainless idiots... makes me wonder if they even know what the devestating consequences could be.

[Aussie]

Cant say ive ever had it happen to me, but i hope others with these wise ideas learn from his lesson...:ugh:

[satos]

I had the misfortune of someone shining a laser to my eyes a few years ago.I nearly came to blows with the guy.These things should be banned as they have no real need in our society.

[medwun]

I've had the pleasure of being lasered and am convinced that a smart missile which travels down the beam is the best way of dealing with these f**kwits.

fortunately metro, this chap will now have a 'smart' missile or two traveling 'UP' his beam during his time away. hopefully that should deal with him. :ooh:

[ULH Extreme]

May i suggest a laser tattoo on his bum, in reverse, so in the mirror he can read it for the rest of his life.