Air ambulance medic's wife bids to stop laser pen sales
The wife of a paramedic whose husband's helicopter was hit by a beam from laser pen has started a petition to ban sales of the devices in the UK.
Dan Tucker's Wiltshire Air Ambulance helicopter was targeted during a landing near Trowbridge in September, the fourth attack this year. Claire Tucker put an appeal on Facebook begging people not to use them, and it was seen by thousands of people. "I had messages of support from viewers all around the world," said Ms Tucker. "Even Australia's Flying Doctors contacted me to say they've had laser pen attacks and are pushing for a ban there too." During the last attack on 7 September, Mr Tucker was hit by a laser which refracted around his helmet visor, leading the crew to abort their training mission. Lasers can temporarily dazzle pilots, which could lead to them losing control of their aircraft. Mrs Tucker wants to ban sales and imports of the devices, as well as restricting advertisements for them on UK-based websites. "There are some parts of Wiltshire they won't fly over for training purposes at night because they know they will be lasered," she said. Wiltshire Air Ambulance confirmed its pilots had taken a "conscious decision" to reduce training in areas known for laser attacks to protect its pilots. "With lockdown, people are getting bored and what do they do? They go online and buy these things," said Ms Tucker. "People don't realise the damage they can cause." Wiltshire Police are investigating the last attack but have yet to arrest a suspect.