Overview

• Colin Quinn, 44, admitted recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft after targeting a National Police Air Service helicopter with a green laser on June 29 in Ferryhill.
• Ground officers and the aircrew traced the beam to an address on Highland Terrace, where a black laser pen was recovered and Quinn was arrested.
• He initially denied the offence, then apologised in custody and blamed a combination of stupidity and intoxication.
• Durham Crown Court sentenced Quinn on August 19 to four months in prison and ordered him to pay £154 in costs.
• NPAS and Durham police warned that such attacks endanger crews and divert searches, noting this was the third recent incident in the North.