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Photojournalist arrested after using drone near Gatwick

A photojournalist has been arrested by police after using a drone near Gatwick Airport. Eddie Mitchell - approval by the CAA to commercially operate small unmanned aircraft - was held for hours.

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Cameraman arrested over drone and police struggle to land device

A freelance cameraman has been arrested after flying a drone near Gatwick Airport. Surrey Police were caught on camera arresting Eddie Mitchell for breach of the peace before trying to land the drone themselves.

Mr Mitchell, though, says he was operating the kit within the rules. He was later released without charge.

Kate Bunkall has this report.

Journalist arrested for 'breaching the peace' with drone

Surrey Police have confirmed that a 49-year-old man has been arrested for breaching the peace.

The 49-year-old cameraman's arrest followed complaints from local residents and others in the vicinity of the tragic incident in which a woman and two young children sadly lost their lives.

Police confiscated the drone during his arrest but are in the process of returning it to the cameraman.

A number of uniformed officers and detectives were sent to the scene of this tragic incident to assist Surrey Fire and Rescue Service with their investigation.

“While in attendance, concerns about the behaviour of a man were raised to officers from people who believed he was acting in a disrespectful and intrusive manner.

“At the time of the arrest, the main focus for officers and fire crew at the scene was to conclude the initial forensic investigation and to allow the dignified removal of the bodies of those who had sadly died.

“This was a deeply distressing incident which has devastated the community and the impact will be felt for some time. The thoughts of all at Surrey Police are with those affected by the fire.”

– Detective Chief Inspector Antony Archibald

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VIDEO: The moment a freelance cameraman is arrested by police

Here's the moment when photojournalist Eddie Mitchell was arrested by police for flying a drone near Gatwick Airport. Surrey Police officers are filmed arresting him for breach of the peace - and are then seen trying to land the drone themselves.

Mr Mitchell - who works freelance for a range of news organisations - had been flying the drone near the scene of a fatal fire in Surrey.

He says the location, near Gatwick, is part of the airport's air traffic control zone, but is not a no-fly area. He is a trained drone pilot and is one of the few journalists approved by the Civil Aviation Authority to commercially operate drones. He said he did not need to alert air traffic as his drone was weighing under 7kg.

Mr Mitchell was held in custody for a number of hours, before being released. It's thought police believed he had been operating the drone in a no-fly zone.

"A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace."

– Surrey Police
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