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Malta: UPDATED - Amateur astronomer admits aiming laser at aircraft; says it could not have caused a problem

A member of the Malta Astronomical Society admitted in court that an aircraft crossed into his laser beam while he was pointing out planets to his young nephew. David Camilleri testified on December 11 2013 that he did not turn off the beam during the June 16 2013 incident.

Taking the stand in his own defense, he told the court that the AirMalta light would have hit the side or tail, but not the cockpit, based on the aircraft’s flight path. He sad that as the son of a retired air traffic controller, he was aware of traffic and flight paths.

In addition, the laser’s range was stated in a brochure as 3 km, while the aircraft was 9 km away from Camilleri’s position.

The prosecution noted that the brochure warned against aiming at aircraft as it could disrupt the flight and was illegal. The prosecutor objected to Camilleri as he was not an expert but was expressing “mere opinion”.

The judge scheduled the next hearing for February 25 2014. An independent court expert will be appointed to provide technical terms and assistance.

From Malta Today

UPDATED - June 4 2014: A web search for “David Camilleri laser” has not turned up any results. The most recent items are stories of his December 11 2013 court appearance. So the outcome of this case does not seem to be available online.