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UK: Man given 12-month conditional discharge for aiming laser pen at Humberside police helicopter

A 26-year-old man from Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire was sentenced August 3 2015 on charges of shining a light at an aircraft so as to dazzle or distract the pilot. The incident occurred March 27 2015, and involved a Humberside Police helicopter.

Scott Christopher Brown was given was given a 12-month conditional discharge, and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £85 by North Lincolnshire magistrates.

(For non-U.K. readers, “a conditional discharge is a sentence vitiating the finding of guilt in which the offender receives no punishment provided that, in a period set by the court [not more than three years], no further offence is committed.” In 2008, about 6% of sentences were conditional discharges.)

From the Scunthorpe Telegraph and the Wikipedia page on Discharge (sentence)