A man has been jailed for three years for endangering an aircraft that was diverted to Stansted last year.
Alan Patey, 49, of no fixed address pleaded guilty to making a bomb hoax aboard a plane on September 20 last year, which was heading from Sri Lanka to Heathrow when it was diverted to Stansted airport.
Upon landing at the Essex hub police officers boarded the Sri Lankan airlines Airbus and arrested Patey, along with another 57-year-old man who was later released without charge. Other passengers on then travelled onwards to Heathrow by coach.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Werrett, Senior Investigating Officer from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "This was a traumatic incident for the pilot, the crew and passengers on flight UL 503 from Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom.
"They not only had to be escorted from the plane for their own safety, but were naturally delayed in reaching their final destination.
"The courage of the pilot and his crew should be highlighted in the calm professional way they dealt with the situation believing there was a device on board. The sentence today reflects the actions of Mr Patey and should act as a deterrent to others considering similar actions."
