Trouble at Sherburn!

[Pilotdom]

Also......,

The flights were not from Sherburn, they were from Sheffield. The flights were conducted in a rented aircraft from a flying school based at Sheffield. No flights in this particular instance departed or arrived to/from Belgium carrying any illegal substance. The aircraft used is now back in the UK and flying again at Sheffield.

[TSR22]

Hi All,
I was disappointed to see that the newspaper had put the Sherburn logo on both the website and the newspaper - especially since Sherburn as a club have NO INVOLVEMENT whatsoever in any of this!!!
Nice work journalists..
I just feel sorry for the families and how it will affect them - I hope, for their benefit, that this blows over quickly..
P.S. Bogbeagle - nice to see you still around - what r u up to these days - still flying??

[Saab Dastard]

Stephen Jackson, a director at Sherburn Aero Club, near Leeds, and learner pilot Leon Franklin had their plane raided by detectives as it was taxiing for take-off from an airstrip in Belgium bound for Sheffield.

Jackson, 49, from Sherburn-in-Elmet, is a director of the club with responsibilities for membership, marketing and social events.

Being a director of the club means that it has nothing to do with club?

It's statements like that that give journo-bashing a bad name!

SD

[TSR22]

Being on the club committee doesn't mean that the club would endorse, encourage or be involved in any way - or do you think otherwise?
Explaining someone's position as background information is fine - plastering club logos across newspapers - thereby tacitly suggesting a link is surely misleading. In any case, the aeroplane didn't come from Sherburn!!
Bad name for journalists....never!!!!!

[ppvvmm]

TSR22 said...

I just feel sorry for the families and how it will affect them - I hope, for their benefit, that this blows over quickly..

yes those pesky belgian police causing such stress and upset.

how much better it would have been had they stayed in their police station and let the (alleged) 27kg/£2.5m cargo travel to the UK.

all the £££ riches lost, all the drug users saved from despair and death!

Surely, if guilty, we should rejoice that they were caught and hope it doesnt "blow over" until after a good long stretch of prison?

pvm

[DX Wombat]

Surely, if guilty, we should rejoice that they were caught and hope it doesnt "blow over" until after a good long stretch of prison?

I agree. I have spent far too many hours cuddling inconsolable, screaming, drug-addicted babies. I mean screaming. These poor babies do not simply cry, they scream and scream for hours on end and require drug therapy in decreasing doses to stop their addiction. The screaming is one of, if the THE most distressing sound you can ever hear. I have NO sympathy whatsoever with drug dealers. It may, however, be possible that the families of these alleged drug smugglers were completely in the dark about their extra-curricular activites and in that case I do feel sorry for them as it will have come as a great shock.

[TSR22]

I quite agree - anybody caught doing this kind of thing should be punished. It is a most despicable thing to be involved in, and I am sure that these people don't give a thought to the repercussions and suffering of their families, addicts and all the victims of crime and poverty that surround the drugs trade.
Most of the people who suffer are the innocents (including the families of those caught). My thoughts are with all of these people.
The dealers, trafficers and producers all deserve what they get.

[maxdrypower]

As stated earlier in the thread I have spent a large portion of my professional career dealing with those concerned in the import , supply and misuse of such products . One thing I can say in that time I cannot remember a single instance where the family of a supplier were unaware of what they were up to and were not living of the proceeds of the ill gotten gains . Yes if the family were unaware then we are right to think of them going through what they are , but when Mrs Codshead and the young heads are all holidaying in barbados driving their chavvy suped up audi tt's despite husband head signing on once a week and being a general layabout or doing a very ill paying job , if alarm bells arent ringing then they bloody should be . The vast majority like to live in an self generated state of ignorance . But ho hum if it aint obvious to our well heeled magistrates then why should it be obvious to the prolls

[bogbeagle]

I used to work at Sherburn...instructing...so I know the people in question quite well; I've flown with them all at various times.

It always surprised me that Jan Coster claimed that the instructors were fairly paid and that she could manage OK on the income. Makes you think!

I suppose that some evil-doer might have slipped the drugs into the aircraft whilst the crew wasn't looking....I mean, that's possible....isn't it?

[maxdrypower]

27kgs of coke go unnoticed in a small aircraft , I am not the greatest pilot in the world but I would like to think my walkround and pre flight might uncover such stowaways , and as far as I am aware not many drug dealers are in the habit of putting drugs on aircraft that dont belong to them and let them travel unsupervised to locations unknown , they are drug dealers but they are not stupid , hence the pilots in question being locked up and not the Mr Big who will reap the major benefits of 27kgs

[The Law]

North Yorkshire Police - Ports Policing

HAVE YOU SEEN OR HEARD ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS IN RELATION TO THIS OR ANY OTHER INCIDENT?

IF SO, PLEASE CONTACT NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE PORTS OFFICE ON 01609 789188.

How can I help?

Whether you are involved in aviation or maritime travel you can help by;

• As a pilot/owner be aware of your responsibilities and comply with legislation.
• By being vigilant and notifying the Police immediately of anything suspicious

What to look for

• Evidence of any unauthorised activity at your airstrip/port
• Packages being transferred from aircraft to vehicle in an unusual manner, location or time
• Strangers trying to hire your boat/aircraft

If you notice anything unusual

• DO NOT involve yourself
• DO NOT touch any suspicious packages
• Make a note of any registration numbers, markings or description
• Call the Ports Unit/Police immediately.

Your information will be treated in confidence.

[mylesd]

From what I have heard, both of the pilots have been released with full acquittals and all charges have been dropped. It turns out the person carrying the cocaine had no knowledge of the contents (as confirmed by Belgian police surveillance reports) and the pilot of the plane, Stephen Jackson, had flown off to refuel the plane at a different airport and was scheduled to return 45 minutes later, was not caught with anything illegal, either on his person or in the plane itself. In this instance ignorance was a great defence for the carrier. Had the person carrying the boxes known what was inside or checked to confirm the contents it would have been a totally different scenario.

The newspaper reports were almost 90% inaccurate the only thing they reported correctly was that two people were arrested and cocaine was involved.

The cocaine never made it to the plane, in fact the mule was so unaware of the contents, that he spent 30 minutes inside a shop buying chocolate, the taxi was waiting outside with the cargo in the boot. No one who knows they are in possession of 2.5 million pounds worth of cocaine would willingly leave it in the back of a taxi and go into some shops to get some duty free.

So the official line is, both people were innocent and both have been released without charge after spending 9 months in a Belgian prison.

P.s. Sorry for the thread bump but I thought I'd post as you guys seem to know at least something about Stephen Jackson and his escapades.

[airborne_artist]

The newspaper reports were almost 90% inaccurate

No surprises there then.

I'm glad that they've been acquitted.