Some of the sightings of drones which kept Gatwick Airport on shutdown may have involved the police’s own craft, a senior UK officer has admitted.
Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York’s comment came as he said he was “really sorry” for a couple who were held for 36 hours before being cleared of responsibility for the disruption.
Mr York insisted he is “absolutely certain” a drone was flying near runways at Gatwick during the three-day period from December 19-21 when the airport was repeatedly forced to close.
But he acknowledged there may have been some “confusion” caused by his force launching its own drones in the hunt for the rogue craft.
Describing the police investigation as “incredibly thorough”, he said: “I don’t think we have found the drone responsible for this at this time.
“I think the fact that we have found two drones so far as a result of this does show the extent of the search that has been carried out. I am led to believe that we are able to rule those drones out of this investigation at this time.”
The officer also said he felt “really sorry” for Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk, from Crawley, West Sussex, who were detained in the wake of the disruption, but said the grounds for their arrest were “well founded”.
Press Association
