Couple held over Gatwick drone chaos receive payout from police
A MARRIED couple have been awarded £200,000 in compensation after being arrested by armed police and held for 36 hours over drone flights that grounded planes at Gatwick Airport
After a “very long fight for justice” Paul and Elaine Gait have received an official apology for being taken into custody by 12 armed officers in a raid on their Crawley home just before Christmas in 2018, following chaos at the nearby transport hub.
Holidaymakers booked for seasonal getaways had their plans ruined as illegal drone flights forced Gatwick to close repeatedly over a three-day period, prompting authorities to investigate the mass disruption.
Despite not owning drones and working throughout the aviation chaos, Mr and Mrs Gait were arrested by Sussex Police and held for 36 hours without charge. They claim they still have “no explanation” for their arrest.
No charge has yet been brought against anyone for the disruption, which led to the airport being closed for 30 hours, disrupting 1,000 flights and affecting more than 140,000 passengers. The force has admitted some drone sightings may have been due to their own craft.
The Gaits’ legal team announced yesterday that Sussex Police had agreed to an out-of-court settlement package of £200,000 in compensation and legal costs, following the couple’s ordeal, which, the force accepts, was “traumatic”.
“We are delighted to have finally received vindication,” Mr and Mrs Gait said in a statement. “It has been a very long fight for justice. The sums being paid by Sussex Police and letter received from the Assistant Chief Constable are confirmation of our innocence and wrongful treatment. It has taken lengthy legal proceedings to obtain resolution from the police and to finally have closure on this distressing time. We look forward to moving on and putting this terrible episode behind us.”
The couple said, despite the apology, they have still received “no explanation” for why they were detained “incommunicado” for a day and a half.
Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy, who has represented the couple, branded the whole episode “a gross miscarriage of justice”.
A letter sent by the force’s assistant chief constable, David Miller, to the Gaits states: “I am deeply sorry…we recognise that things could have been done differently and, as a result, Sussex Police have agreed to pay you compensation and legal costs.”