Man shines laser pen at police helicopter and immediately regrets it

Pointing a laser pen at a police helicopter might sound like a prank, but for one man in Durham, England, it quickly turned into a jail sentence.

Colin Quinn, 44, thought it would be clever to shine a green laser at a National Police Air Service (NPAS) aircraft as it searched for a missing person.

However, what he didn’t expect – but probably should have – was the police to end up at his doorstep.

Spoiler alert? His stunt ended up with a four-month prison term, which is probably a good lesson for the man.

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Caught red-handed in his own living room

The incident unfolded just after 10pm on June 29 in Durham, England.

The helicopter crew, dazzled by the green beam, quickly pinpointed its origin: Quinn’s front garden.

Footage captured him outside his home with the laser in hand, essentially guiding officers straight to his location.

A police car was dispatched, and bodycam footage later showed officers confronting him about the offence.

Quinn initially tried to bluff his way out, telling officers he had been watching TV with his wife and son before stepping out to investigate a group of boys near his house.

Even when told the helicopter had him on camera, he insisted there was ‘no laser in this house lads.’

That excuse collapsed the moment police lifted a sofa cushion and revealed the offending gadget.

Realising the jig was up, Quinn sighed and muttered: ‘Oh, I’m f—-d.’

In court, he admitted recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft or its crew.

At Durham Crown Court, he was sentenced to four months behind bars and ordered to pay £154 (about $207) in costs.

Police slam the recklessness of the laser pen prank

Police condemned the reckless act, stressing how dangerous it is to target aircraft with lasers.

Sgt Peter Newman of Durham Constabulary criticised Quinn’s ‘stupidity,’ pointing out that his actions not only put pilots at risk but also disrupted the urgent search for a missing person.

“Every minute is valuable,” he said.

While the authorities sometimes use lasers to make roads safer, it’s clear from this incident that pointing a laser at a police helicopter is no joke.

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