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UK: Nine months in prison for Birmingham man whose laser stopped a missing persons search

Luke Soulsby, 27
Birmingham, UK


Around June 1 2018, Soulsby was sentenced in Birmingham Crown Court to nine months in prison. He pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft.

In October 2017, Soulsby aimed a laser for about 15 minutes at a National Police Air Service helicopter flying over Rubery in the West Midlands. The crew was searching for a missing person but instead began seeking the location of the laser.

According to police, the pilot was at “significant risk” due to the the disorienting laser light.

In December 2017, NPAS purchased laser-reducing glasses which can enable pilots to continue even when illuminated by laser light.

From Police Oracle