A
model plane enthusiast and his 54-year-old wife have been revealed as
the suspects arrested over the Gatwick Airport drone mayhem but his boss
claims he was working and could not have been the culprit. Forensic
squads had been searching a van outside window-fitter Paul Gait, 47, and
his wife Elaine Kirk's home but the probe was thrown into confusion as
Mr Gait's boss John Allard vouched for him and said he was at work.
Allard, who runs a double glazing firm in Crowborough, said he could
'account for Paul's movements between the hours of 7am and 5pm last
Monday to Friday'. The 47-year-old suspect had been 'part of a three-man
team fitting glass doors and windows in the Crowborough area', his
employer said. The couple were arrested in Crawley, the West Sussex
town where they live and which has previously been a battleground for
environmental groups opposing the expansion of the airport. The arrests
come as police look into theories as to whether eco-warriors or a group
of activists protesting deportations of migrants could be behind the
drone mayhem. Crawley, a town with a population of just over 100,000, is
just five miles away from Gatwick and under the airport's
flightpath. Activists in the town have previously declared a 'state of
emergency' in the countryside to counter a proposed second runway.
Around 1,000 aircraft have been cancelled or diverted amid this week's
mayhem, plunging 140,000 passengers into chaos since Wednesday
night. Flights have resumed by many are operating with delays after
three days of disruption, with some passengers having to abandon
holidays or struggling to get home for Christmas.UK police arrest couple over the Drone mayhem at Gatwick Airport
A
model plane enthusiast and his 54-year-old wife have been revealed as
the suspects arrested over the Gatwick Airport drone mayhem but his boss
claims he was working and could not have been the culprit. Forensic
squads had been searching a van outside window-fitter Paul Gait, 47, and
his wife Elaine Kirk's home but the probe was thrown into confusion as
Mr Gait's boss John Allard vouched for him and said he was at work.
Allard, who runs a double glazing firm in Crowborough, said he could
'account for Paul's movements between the hours of 7am and 5pm last
Monday to Friday'. The 47-year-old suspect had been 'part of a three-man
team fitting glass doors and windows in the Crowborough area', his
employer said. The couple were arrested in Crawley, the West Sussex
town where they live and which has previously been a battleground for
environmental groups opposing the expansion of the airport. The arrests
come as police look into theories as to whether eco-warriors or a group
of activists protesting deportations of migrants could be behind the
drone mayhem. Crawley, a town with a population of just over 100,000, is
just five miles away from Gatwick and under the airport's
flightpath. Activists in the town have previously declared a 'state of
emergency' in the countryside to counter a proposed second runway.
Around 1,000 aircraft have been cancelled or diverted amid this week's
mayhem, plunging 140,000 passengers into chaos since Wednesday
night. Flights have resumed by many are operating with delays after
three days of disruption, with some passengers having to abandon
holidays or struggling to get home for Christmas.
