3 Jailed for using Laser pen at EMA

[Navy_Adversary]

3 men have been jailed for using a Laser pen on approaching aircraft and also the tower at East Midlands Airport in February 2013.

Three men jailed for shining laser pen into the cockpits of planes landing at East Midlands Airport | Leicester Mercury (http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/men-jailed-shining-laser-pen-cockpits-planes/story-20967256-detail/story.html)

[Squawk 7500]

It's good that people are getting custodial sentences but it would be nice to see this in the national news

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

They should have got ten years.

[joy ride]

Good news, but I agree this and similar cases should be given far greater prominence in the news, and certainly far more than Pistorius and Celeb coverage.

[joy ride]

Possibly a/v presentations and outdoor/orienteering activities.

I don't see any point in giving a long jail sentence if no real harm was done, it would be far better to spend the cost of a long prison term on getting the message through to the thousands of other spotty herberts who think it's funny.

Sadly modern technology and communications allow immature thrill seekers an ever-widening range of ways of causing trouble with their pranks, e.g. lasers, emailing bomb threats to airlines, spray painting peoples' vehicles. A long prison term will punish an individual, but few others of his/her ilk are likely to be no more aware of the sentence than they are of the nuisance and danger caused by their stupid stunts.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

If one of the aircraft had crashed and killed a couple of hundred people I bet one or two of you on here would have a slightly different view.

[Capetonian]

Endangering lives should carry the stiffest possible sentence.

Prison sentences are a waste of taxpayers' money. I wonder what would happen to people like these in Iran or Saudi? Hands chopped off, lasers shone at them to make them go blind, a severe beating? Brutal and barbaric, but effective. We can't sink to those levels but there has to be a middle path such as really unpleasant and tough manual labour, for example, chain gangs, and total deprivation of all privileges for the duration.

You can't ban the sale of laser pointers, as is suggested, it just places the distribution of them into the hands of profiteeers and criminals and makes it harder for people who need them for legitimate usage to get them.

[Kiltrash]

Give them a chance to mull over the error they made

unpaid 120 hours community service in a Orange boiler suit, shackled in three's, with guards, filling in pot holes in taxiways and roads at the airport 9-5 for fit 20 year old's would seem a reasonable sentance with a curfew of 7pm for 12 months by electronic tags.

[Capetonian]

The offences took place in Britain and they were tried under our law. What else wouls we expect?? That's exactly the problem, the UK's laws are too bloody soft which is why society there is riven with violence (and spare me the lecture about South Africa, please), why elderly people are afraid to go out, why the prisons are full of young thugs, why criminals flout the law ...... must I go on?

[joy ride]

I would most certainly scream for an extremely tough sentence if a prank like this had caused damage. injury or death!

As for giving the "stiffest possible penalty for endangering lives", ideally yes I agree, but it would instantly fill a whole city of prisons with 50% of British drivers!

[skydiver69]

The cost to ATC and the airlines probably outweighs the cost fines and court costs given to the three offenders. Pilots and the atc controller all had to take time off as well as taking up the time of a Dr to treat them or pass them fit and assuming that the airlines had to re roster other pilots then the final cost must have been quite high. So a jape has cost some people some serious money even ignoring the serious possibility that an aeroplane could have crashed as a result of three peoples stupidity.

[grounded27]

Understand the potential danger. The judicial system needs to look at malicious intent V/S stupidity. Don't think youthful idiotic acts justify a death sentence. Media is the tool, it can go good or bad but at some point someone needs to make an example. A heavy sentence for the media would be great, after this quiets down a quiet early release would be appropriate if the offenders don't have priors and have scared the hell out of them and potential future offenders.

[llondel]

Incidentally, can someone tell be what the legitimate use of the these devices is??

The lower power ones are good for tormenting cats, or boring people in meetings when used in conjunction with a Powerpoint presentation.

[joy ride]

Modern LED torches are bright enough for a PowerpBore and a long pointed stick still works as well as it ever did. There is little or no need for the general public to own Lasers, therefore I consider that they should not be sold except through specialist outlets and/or require a licence. Being easily available means idiots will continue to aim them at aircraft and into people's eyes.

[Capetonian]

I had a couple of low powered pointers I used for PowerWank presentations. One broke and then I lost the other. Never bothered to replace them. Cursor on screen, or a stick, or finger, just as effective. If the presentations are well-designed and kept simple and not full of superfluous detail, the important parts should not need further highlighting anyway.

[jackieofalltrades]

Good news, but I agree this and similar cases should be given far greater prominence in the news, and certainly far more than Pistorius and Celeb coverage.

Absolutely. How much longer is it going to be before some scrote brings a plane down with these moronic actions? I would hope hearing some went to jail would be enough of a deterrent to the majority of idiots that do this. Sadly some will continue their actions regardless.

[joy ride]

Sadly I reckon that the vast majority of people who do this sort of idiotic thing are the type are least likely to read or watch news coverage.

Furthermore, they are type who are most likely just to see their harsh sentence as being down to those nasty B*stards in Blue who caught them, and the miserable old Goat in a silly old-fashioned wig who sentenced them. Most of these slubberdegullions are unlikely ever to be made aware of the danger that their idiocy can cause.

Although my gut reaction is severe chastisement and punishment, I think some form of "enforced awareness" is probably better and cheaper than punishment, but banning or licencing the sale of laser torches is probably the best long-term solution.

[defizr]

Incidentally, can someone tell be what the legitimate use of the these devices is??

Public astronomy demonstrations and lectures.

[joy ride]

^ Exactly, so they should only be sold at specialist shops like Broadhurst and Clarkson, exactly the sort of place this type of idiot has never heard of!

[philbky]

joy ride, extend your logic across the thousands of products that can be dangerous in the wrong hands and nothing would be available.

For a free society to work there has to be access to the public at large to most items which have a legitimate safe use in the public or private domain, but may be put to more nefarious uses, so the penalties for misuse must be severe, whatever the cost of implementing the punishment. People have to learn responsibility for their actions so those of us who have common sense and discretion can get on with our legitimate pursuits without interference from the nanny state.

[ATNotts]

grounded27

Don't think youthful idiotic acts

Problem is these prats are all over 20, as such they aren't youths, just irresponsible adult scum who think that trying to bring down aircraft is fun.

I'm not from the "lock 'em up, and throw away the key" wing, but so called adults do really need to be treated harshly, and in perhaps other ways than (just) a prison sentence.

As said in another posting here, it's a shame that this story didn't get national media coverage - you can bet your bottom dollar that had it happened anywhere near a London airport it would have been all over the national media.

[JustOccurred2Me]

The problem isn't really the cheap and nasty £5 laser pointers - I doubt if they've got the range or power beyond 10ft or so.

It's this sort of stuff: High power laser pointers. Green laser pointers with 50 mile range. (http://www.megalaseruk.com/laser01.htm) Easily available, multiple online sources.

Who on earth needs an 800mW laser with a 50 mile range - I can't see any valid, non-trouble-causing reason. It would melt a hole in your average Powerpoint screen.

Last time I flew from Jo'burg (a couple of years ago, granted, so things might have changed) - the damn things were actually on sale at the airport. :ugh:

[SpringHeeledJack]

I was 'hit' in the eye momentarily by one of these from a distance of 150m approx and it caused me to have disturbed vision for a while afterwards. The user was a teenager who had scarpered by the time I'd got to where he had been. To be properly flashed by someone using such a laser whilst in control of a complex piece of machinery in a critical phase of flight is so dangerous as to be almost premeditating murder. It should be considered as a serious crime and not as a prank gone wrong.



SHJ

[PPL Hobbyist]

SpringHeeledJack,

I wouldn't go so far as to say premeditating murder or premeditated murder since there were no fatalities or serious incidents resulting from the l@ser attack. But in any country, multiple counts of attempted murder and a multiple charges of interfering with flights will result in a very stiff sentence. I definitely think that knowing the dangers and implications of shining l@sers at aircraft, a court of law will not hesitate to convict on the the above charges if the perpetrators are found guilty. That is what I think they should do, and widely publicise it.