KARA: JAIL FOR LASER LOUT WHO DAZZLED HELICOPTER PILOT

A laser lout was jailed for six months after he was caught feet away from a light beam he had been shining into the cockpit of a police helicopter.

Azeem Kara, 22, stood outside his home dazzling the pilot and risking sending the aircraft crashing to the ground.

But the crew were able immediately to locate Kara with their hi-tech equipment and called in back up, Inner London Crown Court.

Bearded Kara, who has a previous conviction for racially aggravated assault and others for motoring offences, claimed he was testing the ‘novelty item’ when he could not sleep at his home in Belton Road, Forest Gate, east London.

Gregor McKinley, prosecuting, said: ‘At approximately 1.30am on 26 June 2011 police were on routine patrol in a police helicopter in the E7 area, when they describe a green laser light shining into the cockpit.

‘One of the police observers said it can blind effectively the pilot of a helicopter, causing distraction to the flight pilot with obvious risk of danger to the occupants and those below.

‘They could see the light was coming from the junction of Belton Road and St George’s Road.

‘Using their equipment they were able to pinpoint the light at 16 Belton Road.

‘While the light was still being shone, their colleagues were able to drive to Belton Road and arrest this defendant outside his home address.

‘He was searched.

‘Nothing was found on him but nearby a laser pen was found broken into two pieces and left beside some bin bags.

‘He said he didn’t know what had happened as he had been inside.’

One of the officers, PC John Redhead described laser louts as a ‘growing problem’.

Bharat Gupta, defending, said Kara did not realise the beam had hit the craft.

He claimed he had a less powerful red laser pen and only went out to buy the green one for £5 earlier that day.

He could not sleep, said the barrister, so he went outside unaware it was still in his pocket.

When he stumbled upon it ‘he decided to test it’, said Mr Gupta.

‘He could tell it was a police helicopter where he was shining it.

‘He didn’t expect it to go that far and affect the helicopter.

‘He has been reckless he hasn’t done it with any malicious intent.

‘It was just a novelty item.

‘There was no particular purpose for purchasing it.

‘He heard the sirens and understood it was for him, therefore he panicked and unscrewed the pen and threw it away.’

He asked the judge to suspend any term of imprisonment.

But the judge told Kara: ‘You have pleaded guilty to a very serious offence.

‘You shone a laser torch towards a police helicopter so that it caused significant danger to those who were flying it.

‘It was an astonishing thing to have done.

‘I don’t accept for a moment you didn’t realise the helicopter was there.

‘I think you were shining it towards the noise of the helicopter.

‘I am quite satisfied this passes the custody threshold and it will be an immediate sentence of custody.’

Kara, of Belton Road, Forest Gate, east London, admitted recklessly acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft or persons.

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