A teenager who shone a laser pen at a police helicopter put the lives of the crew and public at risk, magistrates have been told.

The 17-year-old from Hersden pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft following the incident in the village last month when the chopper was helping search for a man believed to have been injured in an accident.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Canterbury Youth Court on January 15 to a Youth Rehabilitation Order, including a three-month curfew. He was also ordered to pay costs of £40 and a £15 victim surcharge.

Russ Woolford, base manager at the Air Support Unit, said: "Shining a laser at an aircraft causes significant danger to not only the crew on board, but the public below. It is a criminal offence and it could have fatal consequences.

"Due to the equipment on board, the crew were able to trace the offender’s exact location and used the aircraft video camera to record the incident.

"Shining a laser at an aircraft is a serious incident and we will continue to prosecute anyone carrying out this offence."