Jail For Man Who Shone Laser At Police Copter

A man has been jailed for six months for endangering the lives of the Police Helicopter crew based in Husbands Bosworth, by shining a green laser pen into the cockpit.

Voyslav Dimitrov, 29, from Wellingborough, Northants, forced them to abandon their search for a group of men armed with knives, after the pilot took evasive action to avoid being blinded.

He was arrested minutes after the incident in the town last September, when the copter crew led officers directly to him.

The National Police Air Service has released footage of the incident:

Voyslav Dimitrov

Speaking after Dimitrov was jailed at Northampton Crown Court, PC Dom Preece, who led the investigation, said: “This incident could have been so much worse and it is thanks to the pilot, a man with over 20 years’ experience, that this did not end in a disaster.

“As you can see in the video, the laser Dimitrov used a number of times on the aircraft was very powerful and the consequences had the pilot become disorientated are horrifying.

“Dimitrov’s actions that night were completely reckless and dangerous and I am glad that he has been rewarded with a prison sentence. He endangered the lives of those inside the helicopter as well as the people on the ground and I hope his six months’ imprisonment will serve as a warning to others who may think it’s acceptable to shine a laser at any aircraft.”