A man has been sentenced to eight months imprisonment after shining a laser at a police helicopter, forcing it to abandon a critical search operation.
Nicholas Mutter, 41, of Swift Drive, Trowbridge, received the sentence yesterday at Salisbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to shining a laser beam towards an aircraft.
The incident occurred on March 19 at around 1 am when the National Police Air Service (NPAS) was aiding in the search for a high-risk missing person. A green laser was repeatedly shone at the helicopter, dazzling and distracting the pilot, preventing him from reading his instruments and forcing him to halt the search operation.
The pilot was able to trace the laser beam to a property on Swift Drive. Officers quickly attended the location, where they found Mutter and a green laser. Mutter was subsequently arrested and charged.
Investigating officer PS Evangeline Templar condemned Mutter’s actions, describing them as “incredibly reckless and dangerous,” endangering both the crew and the public. She highlighted the potential risk to the missing person, whose search had to be abandoned due to the laser distraction.
“Mutter’s irresponsible actions forced the pilot to call off his mission, potentially putting at risk the life of the person the crew was tasked with trying to find,” PS Templar said. “I am pleased that Mutter was swiftly arrested and sentenced. We take this kind of behaviour incredibly seriously and won’t hesitate to ensure culprits face justice for it.”
Captain Paul Watts, Head of Flight Operations at NPAS, emphasized the severe dangers posed by lasers to air crews and public safety. He explained that any distraction to a pilot is a significant risk and underscored NPAS’s capability to pinpoint laser sources and report them to local police for prosecution.
“The danger caused by lasers, not only to our air crew but also to the public, cannot be stressed enough. Anything that distracts a pilot, whilst airborne, is a huge risk to safety,” Captain Watts stated. “Our sophisticated camera and mapping systems on board all our aircraft allow us to pinpoint exactly where a laser is coming from and we will report this to local police. We will always pursue prosecution through the courts. Anyone foolhardy or reckless enough to consider shining a laser at an air crew should expect to face court, and potentially a prison sentence.”
The swift response and subsequent sentencing of Nicholas Mutter serve as a stern warning against the hazardous use of laser devices, reinforcing the serious consequences such actions can entail.
