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Canada: 15 hours community service for March 2011 Winnipeg lasing

Sheldon Friesen, 27, pleaded guilty on April 30 2012 to directing a bright light at an aircraft. He had lased a police helicopter three times on March 10 2011 with a laser pointer he purchased for 99 cents on eBay.

He was sentenced to 15 hours community service work. He had faced a maximum penalty of CDN $100,000 and up to five years in prison.

Friesen told the court he was testing the range of the laser and did not realize that aiming at a helicopter could be dangerous. The judge agreed, saying “You do seem like you were genuinely surprised by the consequences of your actions.”

From the Winnipeg Sun. The original March 2011 story in LaserPointerSafety.com is here.