Warrington man jailed for shining laser at police helicopter searching for missing person

A man has been jailed after shining a laser beam at a police helicopter which was searching for a missing person.David Warren, 41, was sentenced to 35 weeks when he appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court.The sentence includes 12 weeks for shining a laser beam towards an aircraft, as well as activating a 23-week suspended sentence for threatening a person with a weapon.

It was originally handed to him in August, a week before he committed the second offence.The court heard that at around 1.30 on Tuesday 27 August, the police helicopter was called in to search the area around Latchford and Stockton Heath to help find a local man who was missing.

Just before 3.15am, one of the officers on board the helicopter reported that a green laser light was being shone at the aircraft from the window of a property below.

The crew told ground controllers that unless the suspect was stopped immediately they would have to abandon the search.

David Warren was given 12 weeks in prison for shining the laser at the helicopter. Credit: Cheshire Police

Police on the ground traced the source of the light to the building where Warren was but he refused to let them in.

He was arrested after officers forced their way inside, also discovering a green laser.

Warren, of Eagle Mount in Latchford, Warrington, later admitted the offence to police, saying he was using the laser to point out the helicopter in the sky while recording it on his phone.He was subsequently charged with shining a laser beam towards an aircraft and pleaded guilty.Sergeant Michael Hayes said: “While the person the police helicopter was searching for during this incident was ultimately located, shining the laser beam in its direction was incredibly dangerous, and could have seriously hindered their efforts to locate someone in need of help.“The sentence handed to Warren should serve as a reminder of how serious this offence is considered.“I hope it also reminds people of the risks associated with lasers, which some people may think of as a harmless device. This is far from the case and can have very serious consequences.”