David Warren was jailed for what he did while police searched for a missing man
Man jailed for shining laser beam at police helicopter
A missing person search was nearly called off due to one man’s actions. At around 1.30am on Tuesday, August 27, police were called to concerns for the welfare of a missing man in Warrington.
Officers began conducting enquiries in a bid to locate him and NPAS (National Police Air Service) was deployed above the Latchford and Stockton Heath area to assist the search. Shortly before 3.15am, an officer on board the helicopter stated over the police radio someone was shining a green laser out of the window of a property, aiming it at them.
In a video shared by Cheshire Police, the officer can be heard saying: “We’re being targeted by a laser and if it doesn’t we’re going to have to stop the job. They need arresting for it. They are leaning out of a window persistently targeting us while we’re searching for a misper [missing person].”
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Officers were able to trace where the laser was coming from and David Warren was found at the property. The 41-year-old refused to allow officers into the address.
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Officers then forced entry to the address and he was later arrested. A green laser was found at the property and was seized. In interview Warren admitted the offence, saying he was using the laser to point out the helicopter in the sky while recording it on his phone.
He was subsequently charged with shining a laser beam towards an aircraft and pleaded guilty. Warren, of Eagle Mount, Latchford, appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 26 where he was sentenced to 35 weeks.
This includes 12 weeks for shining a laser beam towards an aircraft, and also the activation of a 23-week suspended sentence for threatening a person with a weapon, which was originally handed to him on Tuesday, August 20, one week before he committed the second offence.
The suspended sentence which was activated was a 23-week sentence suspended for 12 months for threatening a person with a weapon in a public place. This relates to an incident on December 10, 2023 in Eagle Brow, Latchford, where Warren threatened two men with a hammer.
Sergeant Michael Hayes said: “While the person the police helicopter was searching for during this incident was ultimately located, shining the laser beam it its direction was incredibly dangerous, and could have seriously hindered their efforts to locate someone in need of help.
“The sentence handed to Warren should serve as a reminder of how serious this offence is considered. I hope it also reminds people of the risks associated with lasers, which some people may think of as a harmless device. This is far from the case and can have very serious consequences.”
