Four Jailed Over Heathrow Tear Gas Luggage Plot
Four Jailed Over Heathrow Tear Gas Luggage Plot
The News
Four men have been jailed over a tear gas attack on passengers at London's Heathrow Airport last December, after pleading guilty to affray.
The sentences run between 21 and 27 months, The Independent reported.
Passengers caught in the spray were left vomiting blood and gasping for air, according to The Independent and The Sun.
The Daily Mail reported the attack was part of a plot to steal passengers' suitcases at Heathrow's Terminal 3 — luggage that has never been recovered.
The Men
The Sun named the four as Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25, Tyrone Richards, 31, Omoneke Whyte, 31, and a fourth man aged 29.
Timeline
The incident takes place at Heathrow Airport over the Christmas period. The Independent reported it happened in an airport car park; the Daily Mail placed it at Terminal 3. Passengers were left vomiting blood and struggling to breathe after tear gas was sprayed.
The four men are jailed for between 21 and 27 months, having pleaded guilty to affray.
Reactions
The Wire cluster's sources carry no statements from prosecutors, police, the airport or the defendants.
British coverage was blunt. The Sun described the four as "yobs" who left passengers "vomiting blood and gasping for air." The Daily Mail framed the case as a "gang" that sprayed tear gas as part of a plot to steal suitcases.
What's Next
The men begin sentences of 21 to 27 months. The stolen suitcases have not been recovered, the Daily Mail reported.
The sources in this story do not indicate whether any appeal has been filed or whether further charges are expected.
More
Affray is an English criminal offence covering violence or threatened violence that would frighten a bystander. All four men admitted it rather than standing trial.
Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world and the main gateway between the United States and Britain.
Poll
Are sentences of 21 to 27 months enough for a tear gas attack on airport passengers?
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