by Lynn Cox

A teenager from Chatham has pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering an aircraft after shining a laser into the cockpit of the Essex police helicopter.

The 17-year-old - who cannot be named for legal reasons because he is under 18 - shone the green light beam at the pilot of the aircraft as it passed through Medway.

The incident, which happened on June 23, caused temporary blindness for the pilot and visual difficulties for the crew, but the crew were still able to direct officers on the ground to a location they believed the teeanger was hiding and an arrest was made.

The boy pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Medway and was give an six-month referral order and had to pay £60 costs.

Ch Insp Mark Arnold said: "Shining a laser pen at any helicopter or aircraft is not only dangerous for the crew but also for the community living below. This is not a trivial prank but is about public safety."

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