Skies friendly for Brit fraud
Nabbed at JFK after flying British Airways with no ticket or passport
A British man flew from London’s Heathrow Airport to Kennedy Airport without a ticket or a passport on Christmas Eve, according to multiple reports.
Craig Sturt, 46, was detained when he landed in New York and shipped back to the U.K. on a charter flight, the Telegraph reported.
Investigators believe Sturt, who is 6 feet tall, sneaked behind other passengers at a passport check and during boarding of the British Airways flight, according to the Telegraph.
Heathrow officials insisted that Sturt must have undergone security screening, Sky News reported. However, they provided no explanation for how he cleared security and customs checks without any documents.
“All people who go airside are subject to security screening, including the individual involved in this case,” a spokesman told the outlet.
Sturt slipped onto a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 without a ticket, authorities told Sky News. Evidently, security at Kennedy Airport was tighter as Sturt was apprehended when attempting to clear customs without documentation.
U.S. authorities put Sturt on a plane back to the U.K. on Christmas Day, and he was detained upon arrival, Sky News reported. He was charged with fraud and Aviation Security Act offenses.
Sturt was due in court on Jan. 25, but he never showed up, according to Sky News. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he remains on the run.
“We continue to work with all our partners to review and enhance the already robust security measures in place which are kept under constant review by the wider security partnership,” London police told Sky News.