Crackdown on ‘deadly’ laser attacks

PILOTS and train drivers have dealt with hundreds of potentially deadly incidents where lasers have been directed at their windows, it has emerged.

There were more than 170 convictions in the UK for shining lasers into aircraft since 2010, while British Transport Police say they come across around 85 such incidents every year.

Scottish airports were among the worst areas in the UK for laser attacks, with 83 incidents recorded in Glasgow in 2016, while Edinburgh Airport saw 44, says the Civil Aviation Authority.

It comes as new Uk-wide laws are set to be introduced making it a criminal offence to direct a laser at any vehicle – punishable by up to five years in jail.

Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said it was right that cyclists were also protected under the legislation, describing it as “future proofing”.

He said he had witnessed cyclists crashing at a “Pedal for Scotland” event last year after tacks were laid across the road to puncture their tyres. He added: “Now I don’t know if there’s incidents specifically of cyclists being attacked by lasers, but could we see that in the future at an event like this? So let’s future proof the legislation.”

Mr Yousaf was speaking to MSPS as they agreed to give consent to the new Uk-wide law, which will introduce tough new penalties for the misuse of lasers.

The gadgets, which create a beam of intense light, can cost less than £10, but can do real damage if used inappropriately.

Beaming them into cockpits can temporarily blind pilots, even if they are flying at thousands of feet off the ground.

In September last year, a man appeared in court in Glasgow after admitting to repeatedly shining a laser from a Knightswood flat at a police car, distracting a sergeant who was driving.

Those who shine lasers at aircraft, road vehicles or ships could face a prison sentence, unlimited fine or both under the new laws.

Current rules only ban maliciously shining a laser in some circumstances – such as when it is directed towards aircraft.

Mr Yousaf said there had been “an increased number of reported incidents of the deliberate misuse of laser pointers, with consequences that could have been fatal”.

He referred to the case of Colin Lochrie, 31, who was jailed for shining a laser pen at a police helicopter flying over Glasgow in 2013.

Mr Yousaf added: “It is a problem, and it is an issue. Anecdotally, I can certainly say it’s been raised with me. The statistics that we do have show that it is a problem.”

He said the Scottish Government supported the UK’S Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Bill, insisting a Uk-wide approach is “sensible”.

The statistics show that we do have a problem