Drones at Gatwick

They have even said it may have been a police drone Either they haven’t a bloody clue or there is a BIG cover up going on

It is always better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground!

Razzy Absolutely!

The risks are very high in shooting at a tiny, fast moving object flying close to a huge amount of aircraft and jet fuel!
I think it is great that finally, after years of pilots telling the CAA and government that they need to sort out the fast growing drone problem, they are finally doung something. As for a drone closing an airport, many things close a runway, including aircraft emergencies, inbound emergencies, animals on the runway, people straying onto the protected area. People are so used to how safe aviation has got, they forget the potential dire situations aircraft could end up in. Pilots will always err on the side of safety. It is always better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground!

We have had many reports of UFOs over the years usually seen by one or two not very credible witnesses, we are now expected to believe that 67 witnesses some of whom were police officers and airport workers all have been having hallucinations. In addition video of some kind of UFO over Gatwick was broadcast widely.

This is a coverup to justify the army not shooting down something that wasn't there and police impotence.

There was an " air traffic fault " that shut down Birmingham last night, that's suspicious

oh, Sparklefizz has already said that, apologies.
I am still half asleep.

I was nearly asleep when I was watching the news, so may not have got this right.

But I thought I heard that there may not have been a drone over Gatwick after all.

Aliens perhaps?

I hope they sue the Daily Mail and any other newspaper that has identified them.

There is something very odd about this case.

It’s okay, Lynne Truss has the answer to drones, barking dogs.
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1062458/Gatwick-gatwick-airport-drone-gatwick-delays-Liz-Truss-dogs

Riverwalk Even I have seen the film footage of the drone. It's been online for a couple of days.

I don't know what the police are talking about, saying that there might not even have been a drone! What is the matter with them? They are making themselves look extremely stupid.

I notice Grayling has gone very quiet.

So many days later and there's still no film footage of this drone!

A case of collective hysteria?

Assume==ass--of---u---and---me.

The couple who were arrested were known protesters against runways being built so would have been picked out from police archives, hence why they were arrested. It doesn't always follow that those whose interests are in this sort of protest are immediate suspects when things like this arise.
The police should always spread their nets further than anything which appears right under their noses and never assume.

You cannot sue the police for wrongful arrest if they have reasonable cause, they have to "arrest" them to question them formally and get access to their phones, this guy is a drone enthusiast and has probably got lots of contacts in that community.
Those contacts can now assume that GCHQ will be listening, electronic surveillance is very wide ranging these days.

Police now say they have found a damaged drone close to the airport wether it is the troublesome one is another matter. The worrying aspect is that a malicious drone can have unfettered access to any airport or indeed any other target and there is nothing capable of stopping it

For the DM apologists on GN

I was horrified by the newspaper headlines and I'm very glad the police did not release the names, though a journalism lecturer said on BBC Scotland this morning he was astonished the stories had been "legalled", and that was before it was announced the couple had been released.

I suspect there will be huge consequences of these front page accusations and feel very sorry for the couple concerned.

In Scotland, it is illegal to publish photos, comment and details of people at that early stage - unless under exceptional circumstances as ordered by a judge - and, once a charge has been made, very little can be published to prevent prejudicing any future trial (leading to false convictions and/or the guilty going free).

During the paper review, it emerged that none of the Scottish papers or those with distinctive Scottish editions had gone over the top with this story and I'm very glad about that.

These people will definitely have a claim and I hope that's all it amounts to for them.

The first thing that should happen is that the authorities should humbly ask the man to use his expertise to help them fight the problem.

And I hope there are national editors hanging their heads in shame.

"has been forgotten", not "hasn't"

EllanVannin Who could they sue though? Facebook? Neighbours? The Daily Mail? Who was the person who initially told? The Police have made it clear that it didn't come from them, and have gone out of their way to praise the couple for being helpful and cooperative, which of course anyone innocent would be.

It seems that the lesson of poor old Cliff Richard hasn't been forgotten despite him winning huge damages from the BBC. The BBC have learnt, but no other media organisations have.

How absolutely terrible if this couple are totally innocent The media has so much to answer for both politically and in every day life Dreadful

It's certainly not the first time that there have been wrongful arrests and won't be the last either. I hope the couple sue !

Apparently the Police did not release the names and have made a point of saying this, but now I see that not only is the couple's house with the name of their road prominent, but photos of his work van with phone number on the side are now showing online. Whoever did release the names (and it could have been a neighbour who saw them taken in for questioning) is a disgrace.

Now Gatwick Airport is offering a £50,000 reward, so presumably there are no other leads.

Are the police back to square one? I hope they have other lines of inquiry to follow.

Unfortunately trial by media is becoming the norm.

The media are like circling sharks, and I feel often release a story before it has been fully authenticated, just to get ahead of their rivals.

They've been released without charge, eazybee

Have the arrested couple been charged?
Their faces, personal details and house are plastered all over the papers, but as far as I am aware they are still being questioned, which does not mean that they are guilty.
Too many people 'under suspicion' named and shamed too soon by the media.
The BBC is being more circumspect on its news page; perhaps they have learned from previous mistakes!

The couple have been released, the Sussex Police have stated that they are no longer under investigation.