Police home in on man who pointed laser pen at helicopter

A party-goer who dazzled a police helicopter with a laser pen before toasting the pilots with a beer bottle gets his comeuppance after officers arrive minutes later and arrest him
Chris Vowles was given a suspended sentence on Thursday after he targeted a National Police Air Service helicopter with a laser pen while drinking in the back garden of a house in Birmingham.
The crew were disorientated after being hit by the beam several times at around 1.15am on July 31 as they prepared for a surveillance mission.
Vowles was arrested minutes later after the crew singled him out from 1,300 feet and alerted colleagues on the ground.
Using thermal imaging cameras, they homed in on Vowles as he laughed and toasted the laser prank with friends. The group could be seen gesturing up at the helicopter and raising beer bottles aloft.
When officers arrived at the property minutes later, footage from the aircraft shows Vowles toss the laser pen over a fence in a bid to cover his tracks.
Officers found the laser pen and, after he was shown the on-board footage, the 23-year-old shop worker admitted the offence.
He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to seven months suspended for two years and 250 hours of unpaid work . He was also ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge and £300 of costs.
West Midlands region NPAS manager Martin Knowles, said: "This was not accidental... it was a deliberate act. The demeanour of the people in the garden illustrates the attitude of many people - laughing and joking and believing their actions were somehow harmless fun.
"But aiming a laser pen at any aircraft, be it a police helicopter, air ambulance or commercial plane, can have disastrous consequences - it's certainly no laughing matter."
NPAS pilot Andy Shanks said he'd been hit "countless" times by laser pens during a 33-year flying career.
"When the light bounces off the screen it's like a disco-ball strobe effect in the cabin," he said. "It's disorientating, makes it impossible to focus on the instrument panel and is extremely dangerous as even a momentary loss of control can be crucial.
"In a worst case scenario crew members struck in the eye can suffer eye damage - that happened recently to an observation officer in Ripley who suffered retina damage after being hit with the laser whilst looking through binoculars."
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