Police arrest man and woman over Gatwick drone disruption

By Kate Holton

 

An arrivals board in the South Terminal building at Gatwick Airport, after the airport reopened to flights following its forced closure because of drone activity, in Gatwick, Britain, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Police have arrested a man and a woman after rogue drone operators crippled London's Gatwick Airport for three days by repeatedly flying onto the airfield, sparking a major security response.

 

Britain's second-largest airport was forced to close its runway in the run up to Christmas after drones started appearing on the site south of London in the most disruptive incursion from unmanned aerial vehicles at any major airport.

 

Police said they had made two arrests late on Friday as part of its ongoing investigation into the criminal use of drones.

No group has claimed responsibility for the disruption, which affected at least 120,000 people on Wednesday and Thursday.

 

The airport, which shut its runway for spells on Wednesday and Friday and for all of Thursday, said it aimed to run a full schedule on Saturday.

 

However, it warned that passengers should expect delays and cancellations as it continues to recover from the biggest disruption since an Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in 2010.

 

"We continue to urge the public, passengers and the wider community around Gatwick to be vigilant," police said.

 

"Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics," they added in a statement.

 

The pre-Christmas travel disruption began late on Wednesday when Gatwick was forced to cancel all flights after spotting small drones near the airfield. Every time the airport operators sought to reopen the runway on Thursday, the drones returned.

 

Authorities finally regained control over the airfield after the army deployed unidentified military technology to guard the area, reassuring the airport that it was safe enough to fly.

 

"Safety is Gatwick's top priority and we are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas," the airport said.

 

The drone sightings caused misery for travellers, many sleeping on the airport floor as they searched for alternative routes to holidays and Christmas family gatherings.

 

The biggest airlines operating at Gatwick include easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian and have said it is too early to determine the financial impact.

 

Unmanned aerial vehicles have become a growing menace at airports across the world. In Britain, the number of near misses between private drones and aircraft more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-22

If found guilty they should be given a long prison sentence minimum 5 years to deter other drone idiots thinking of doing the same.......caused misery to many......to**ers

38 minutes ago, petermik said:

If found guilty they should be given a long prison sentence minimum 5 years to deter other drone idiots thinking of doing the same.......caused misery to many......to**ers

and if they have any assets I hope they are seized and used to go towards the huge cost and disruption caused by these two extremely stupid people, jail them to the max and leave them penniless 

2 hours ago, smedly said:

and if they have any assets I hope they are seized and used to go towards the huge cost and disruption caused by these two extremely stupid people, jail them to the max and leave them penniless 

Then they will end up on Social Security with the taxpayer supporting them probably for the rest of their lives. 

If they turn out to have names like Yazmine and Ali ...

 

 

9 minutes ago, bendejo said:

If they turn out to have names like Yazmine and Ali …

Whatever their names, which as usual under English law wont be released until and unless they are charged, your thinly veiled xenophobic assumption is by far the least likely reason for this event.

 

The arrested couple come from Crawley: Gatwick drones: Man and woman from Crawley held.

 

Therefore it is extremely likely that this idiotic and dangerous action is some form of protest over the plan to increase Gatwick's capacity: Gatwick Airport move to increase capacity 'underhand'

 

I am not, of course, implying that organisations such as Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emission are connected in any way with this attack.

33 minutes ago, bendejo said:

If they turn out to have names like Yazmine and Ali ...

 

 

Their names are Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk, who are 47 and 54, respectively

 

3 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Then they will end up on Social Security with the taxpayer supporting them probably for the rest of their lives. 

I can't see the currently arrested couple as the culprits - for me they just don't fit although they could be helping police find who is responsible, if it is them then it really is hard to believe  

16 minutes ago, smedly said:

I can't see the currently arrested couple as the culprits - for me they just don't fit although they could be helping police find who is responsible, if it is them then it really is hard to believe  

Why?

1 hour ago, 7by7 said:

your thinly veiled xenophobic assumption

Was it good for you?

 

15 minutes ago, bendejo said:

Was it good for you?

 

You must be bitterly disappointed that the arrested couple are white and have British names.

You guys who are quick to claim the high moral ground aren't fooling anybody.

Putting others down to elevate yourself, fighting off your inner bigot, is nothing new.

 

1 hour ago, smedly said:

I can't see the currently arrested couple as the culprits - for me they just don't fit although they could be helping police find who is responsible, if it is them then it really is hard to believe  

Theres probably some illegal immigrants in their house , thats why the Police are searching their house

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

You guys who are quick to claim the high moral ground aren't fooling anybody.

Putting others down to elevate yourself, fighting off your inner bigot, is nothing new.

 

Your bigoted mind lead you down your usual Islamophobic path, you got proven wrong.

 

You’re not looking very smart

old bean.

Edited December 22, 20187 yr by Chomper Higgot

Whoever is proven to have done this should face serious jail time and personally I enjoy flying RC sailplanes it’s nuts like this that can ruin one of my hobbies 

5 hours ago, 7by7 said:

You must be bitterly disappointed that the arrested couple are white and have British names.

No. Most people will be relieved, because we have names and faces. 

Perhaps they are Greenies opposed to airport expansion?

14 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Perhaps they are Greenies opposed to airport expansion?

Greenies are pacifists. They would never do such a thing. This couple are from Essex. Probably Millwall supporters. Bunch of troublemakers, always up to no good.

Great,these two wrecked a great hobby thats enjoyed by a lot of people. They played a stupid game and now are receiving  the stupid prize. The people that like this hobby are now left with more laws and restrictions.

12 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Greenies are pacifists. They would never do such a thing. This couple are from Essex. Probably Millwall supporters. Bunch of troublemakers, always up to no good.

They don't look like your typical yob or football supporter type, or even greenies, but they did live in Crawley, not far from the airport.

Gatwick does allow limited night flying, about 20 flights a night in winter, 50 in summer. I wonder if their £600,000 house was under a flight path.

 

 

16 minutes ago, dorchester said:

Great,these two wrecked a great hobby thats enjoyed by a lot of people. They played a stupid game and now are receiving  the stupid prize. The people that like this hobby are now left with more laws and restrictions.

Let's bear in mind that nobody has as yet been convicted in a court of law. Shouldn't we put down our pitchforks and burning torches until then?

9 minutes ago, baboon said:

Let's bear in mind that nobody has as yet been convicted in a court of law. Shouldn't we put down our pitchforks and burning torches until then?

You are being a bit of a "Grinch"!

Punishment should fit the crime.  If found guilty, sentence them to 5 years in the departure hall at Gatwick waiting to check in for a permanently delayed flight.

If it is proven to be this couple, who caused this massive disruption of a major airport, delayed tens of thousands of vacationers, who had paid accommodations on the other end, and caused hundreds of millions in losses to the airlines, they should be sentenced to a very long time in prison, to serve as an example to the drone community that certain actions have heavy consequences. This was totally beyond the pale. Stunts like this cannot be tolerated. When it comes to the safety and function of the major airports, a more extreme form of justice should apply.

Not so convinced especially as his boss was saying he was fitting windows at certain times when he supposed to droning .

 

Also they just dont seem to fit the bill ( and no i dont mean because they are white and non Muslim)

I was expecting a more Citizen Smith type of guy ... lets see

Edited December 23, 20187 yr by poohy

2 hours ago, dorchester said:

Great,these two wrecked a great hobby thats enjoyed by a lot of people. They played a stupid game and now are receiving  the stupid prize. The people that like this hobby are now left with more laws and restrictions.

As happened to law abiding gun owners after Hungerford and Dunblane yet firearms use has increased among the sort for whom the rules never apply.

Edited December 23, 20187 yr by evadgib

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

If it is proven to be this couple, who caused this massive disruption of a major airport, delayed tens of thousands of vacationers, who had paid accommodations on the other end, and caused hundreds of millions in losses to the airlines, they should be sentenced to a very long time in prison, to serve as an example to the drone community that certain actions have heavy consequences. This was totally beyond the pale. Stunts like this cannot be tolerated. When it comes to the safety and function of the major airports, a more extreme form of justice should apply.

Prison? Yes, certainly. But really their house, and all assets needs to be confiscated and sold and proceeds to be distributed among those affected passengers. Other green drone pilots or anybody considering shutting down an airport by drone would then have second thoughts. 

2 minutes ago, evadgib said:

As happened to law abiding gun owners after hungerford and dunblain yet firearms use has increased among the sort for whom the rules never apply.

Nope. Gun crime has reduced dramatically.

2 hours ago, vogie said:

They don't look like your typical yob or football supporter type, or even greenies, but they did live in Crawley, not far from the airport.

Looks like a typical Essex chav wedding to me. Ever watched an episode of "Made in Essex"?

22 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Punishment should fit the crime.  If found guilty, sentence them to 5 years in the departure hall at Gatwick waiting to check in for a permanently delayed flight.

Punishment may well go the same way as the 'Grenfell garden bonfire' stunt once the outrage has passed.

Edited December 23, 20187 yr by evadgib