Wrexham: Man jailed for aiming laser at police helicopter

Ian Davies had been drinking heavily

A man has been jailed for six months for shining a laser at a helicopter.

Ian Davies, 58, from Wrexham admitted pointing a laser beam towards an on duty police helicopter last December.

Judge Nicola Saffman said the prison sentence would send a "deterrent message" to others and that his actions "could have had devastating and tragic consequences".

Davies' defence lawyer said he accepted "what he did was wrong".

Mold Crown Court was told red and green lasers were shone at a helicopter as crew helping police officers on the ground to locate suspects.

The helicopter's cameras located Davies' house and the images of the laser beams were shown to the court.

Prosecutor Brian Treadwell said they were on the aircraft intermittently but caused "significant distraction".

'Deterrent message needs to be sent'

Philip Tully, defending, said no severe danger was caused and the conduct was "completely out of character."

Davies had an "impressive" work record, he said, and would lose his job if he was sent to prison.

"He accepts what he did was wrong," Mr Tulley added.

Davies had been drinking heavily and was at a low ebb at the time, Judge Saffman said.

"It gives me no pleasure to send a man like you into immediate custody," she remarked.

"The matter is so serious a deterrent message needs to be sent that people who use lasers towards and in the vicinity of helicopters."