Laser idiot shining beam at aircraft, Located in Upper Lambourn Options

[gel]

Hope they catch these fools:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/newseven...m.htm?id=195971

[stewiegriffin]

You have to wonder at the mentality of somebody who would think that they're somehow being clever or funny in doing something so moronic.

Trouble is, even in the unlikely event they're caught, the punishment will be pathetically inadequate.

[JeffG]

Trouble is, even in the unlikely event they're caught, the punishment will be pathetically inadequate.

I doubt it. Offences like this are taken very seriously. The maximum penalty for endangering the safety of an aircraft is life imprisonment.

http://www.thelawpages.com/court-cases/maximums.php

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLKqxxDqv8A...feature=related

All I have to say on that one.

In their defence, when I was younger I had a laser pen and I would shine it at people (not cars) but it's understandable how children may not realise this. I'm not saying excuse them, I'm saying educate them so they don't do it again and they understand what dangers are associated. Smacking them with a teaspoon or an ASBO won't help the situation.

[JeffG]

In their defence, when I was younger I had a laser pen and I would shine it at people (not cars) but it's understandable how children may not realise this.

How is it a defence just because you were allowed to have a laser pen when too young to realise how dangerous it was if misused?

[stewiegriffin]

I doubt it. Offences like this are taken very seriously. The maximum penalty for endangering the safety of an aircraft is life imprisonment.

http://www.thelawpages.com/court-cases/maximums.php

Yes, but the max for all sorts of offences is life. It's rarely the sentence that actually gets handed down though.

[Andy Capp]

How is it a defence just because you were allowed to have a laser pen when too young to realise how dangerous it was if misused?

It is a defence if you were below the age of criminal responsibility.

[Sidney]

Talking of aircraft - did anyone notice the one flying incredibly low over Thatcham last night ??

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Yeah I saw it Sidney, flew in my bedroom window and out the other side of my lounge.

How is it a defence just because you were allowed to have a laser pen when too young to realise how dangerous it was if misused?

Because I got it from a mate at school on a dare/bet l. I stole 2 cheeseburgers from the school cafeteria in Year 8 for him (not to mention they were horrible, poor quality and they charged £1.50 when a cheeseburger from McDonalds is 99p, bigger, tastier and probably better for you) and I received a lovely laser pen.. It wasn't too hard, I used my awesome tactic of "get in while it's really busy and when you're surrounded by people shove it in your jacket pocket."

To be fair I nicked most of the things from the cafeteria at lunch but it was so bloody expensive and it's hardly fair to be operating a 400% profit margin from school children. (I went to Kennet). Especially considering that, at the time, I had no money myself and my Mum with her disability could not work. The allowance for free school meals was not enough to cover buying of a meal and drink (so Sandwich, fruit and drink, or burger, chips and drink). They used to sell Turkey Twizzlers but they stopped that which made me even more angry.

More often than not I'd buy lunch for me and then nick things for my mates. I'm like Robin Hood, just with food......

There are ways and means to get things. Laser Pens are also readily available on Ebay for barely a weeks pocket money for most people. I set up my own Ebay and Paypal account with my own debit card and bank account when I was 13 without any guidance or consultation with my parents and like most teenagers I never really let them know what I was doing or share any information with them at all. (I still don't)

It is a defence if you were below the age of criminal responsibility.

Of course not but at a young age children may not realise things and sometimes things happen outside of parental knowledge, so getting really angry at children or blaming parents is a daft viewpoint and frankly would fall in line with the viewpoint of most Daily Mail readers, about how this country is going to the dogs, foxes are shagging against our bins and how immigrants are going to end up ruling the world.

Where as actually educating the youngers who don't realise the dangers would mean they are much less likely to do it again in the future, then if they got grounded (ha plane reference there incase you missed it) for a week or their parents got moaned at by someone. At the end of the day, kids will be kids, rightly or wrongly.

[Bofem]

Hope they catch these fools:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/newseven...m.htm?id=195971

Hang em high!

[JeffG]

It is a defence if you were below the age of criminal responsibility.

That's a literal interpretation of what I wrote, and not at all what I meant. I meant xjay defending someone elses actions because of something he did himself (I thought that was pretty clear).

[Andy Capp]

That's a literal interpretation of what I wrote, and not at all what I meant.

What!

I meant xjay defending someone elses actions because of something he did himself (I thought that was pretty clear).

Well now you know what thought did! Perhaps xjay was defending the actions of another person who might be below the age of criminal responsibility (it seems clear enough to me).

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

That's a literal interpretation of what I wrote, and not at all what I meant. I meant xjay defending someone elses actions because of something he did himself (I thought that was pretty clear).

I'm not defending their actions because of something I did (although I didn't really do it, didn't shine laser beams into vehicles, just at people) but I can understand how as a young kid you wouldn't realise about the dangers.

Too many old people on here who forget what it's like to be a kid...

[Turin Machine]

Sooo, its ok to cause retina damage in someone else if you're a kid then. Good, glad thats cleared that one up then !

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Sooo, its ok to cause retina damage in someone else if you're a kid then. Good, glad thats cleared that one up then !

Did I say at any point it was OK? No - I didn't, so read the posts before jumping halfway across the Grand Canyon to an incorrect conclusion. Although if you attempt that I suggest you take a hand-glider.

I said rather than just yell at/punish/ground/burn the children, give them the time, sit down and educate, not patronise, them on the dangers of using powerful objects like laser pens, when kids are 12 or 13, more often than not they don't think about action/reaction and don't understand how a little dot of light could blind someone. This is not them being thoughtless or dangerous, it's just kids being kids.

Unless you read a lot of Wikipedia you won't often know that laser pens are dangerous until you're like 16 or 17... I'm not saying excuse them from it but I'm saying that they should be taught these things as they are often completely ignorant (as most children are with things of a more mature nature) about the whole "lasers are dangerous" thing.

[Andy Capp]

Sooo, its ok to cause retina damage in someone else if you're a kid then. Good, glad thats cleared that one up then !

I can't see anyone saying it is OK for a kid to blind someone; where did you read that?

[Turin Machine]

xjay said "In their defence, when I was younger I had a laser pen and I would shine it at people"

[Andy Capp]

xjay said "In their defence, when I was younger I had a laser pen and I would shine it at people"

Yes, but I don't see anyone saying it is OK for a kid to damage someone's eyesight; where did you read that?

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

xjay said "In their defence, when I was younger I had a laser pen and I would shine it at people"

Yes, that's what I said. And like Andy says, where did I say it was OK?



I was just saying that when I was younger I had a laser pen and shone it at people because, at the time, I didn't understand the dangers of lasers because I WAS A KID. You can't be expected to pop out of the womb or for your first words to be "Mummy I demand you vote for the conservative party, I find their standpoint on immigration to be appealing", kids are kids and they don't know these things!!!!

It was only when one of my teachers took me to one side and explained about how they can burn retinas and what not, that I understood and from then on I didn't do it again. Instead of confiscating it, he allowed me to use it in class to point at the whiteboard or projector screen to highlight important notes for a week or so.

Because I was a kid only such a short time ago, I can understand (KEY WORD, UNDERSTAND, NOT EXCUSE) how children would see a plane and try to "tag" it with their laser pen without realising the effects at the receiving end of said beam.