Swansea: Man arrested after laser attack on helicopter

A helicopter conducting a police search was "persistently targeted" by a laser pen

A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of recklessly acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft.

This comes after the National Police Air service said it was "persistently" targeted by a person using a laser pen while conducting a search.

In a post on Twitter, The National Police Air Service (NPAS) said the targeting was "disappointing".

A man, from Ravenhill Swansea, is currently in police custody.

South Wales Police was it contacted just before 01:00 BST by NPAS on Friday morning, with a report that a laser had been shone at the aircraft.

It is illegal to shine a laser at an aircraft, vehicle or ship, and doing so could lead to a prison sentence.

This is because the laser beam can be a distraction to the pilots or drivers, which can lead to accidents.

Even a weak beam can be an issue. Once one reaches an aircraft, it can stretch across the windscreen or cause glares, temporary flash blindness and afterimages for the pilot.

In 2015, a Cardiff man was jailed for six months after shining a laser beam at three passenger planes and a police helicopter.

Liam Chadwick, 28, pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to four counts of recklessly acting in a manner likely to endanger aircraft.

A Ryanair pilot reported seeing a green beam on take-off from Bristol Airport on 1 August 2015.

A police helicopter sent to locate the laser source after it was shone at two other aircrafts found it was coming from a top floor flat in eastern Cardiff.

Chadwick's barrister said he did not realise the "consequences" of his actions.