A man who shone a laser pen at a police helicopter has been jailed. Jesse Geaney admitted directing the powerful beam at the aircraft as it circled over Bristol city centre during a night protest on March 26, 2021.
The pilot was so distracted by the light that he aborted the operation, the role of which was assisting police officers on the ground. The helicopter camera operator switched from thermal camera to daylight camera to pinpoint the source of the beam and Geaney was tracked and arrested.
The 29-year-old, of Tynemouth Road, London, pleaded guilty to shining a laser beam towards an aircraft and Judge James Patrick jailed him for 12 months. He told Gainey: "I'm satisfied that when you came to shine that laser pen at the police it was deliberate and not accidental - but you were not trying to bring that helicopter down." The laser pen was made the subject of a deprivation order.
