Bristol plane spotters fined and allowed to leave India
By Two plane spotters from Keynsham, near Bristol, have been fined 25,000 rupees each – about £365 – after admitting illegally intercepting communications between pilots and authorities at Delhi airport in India.
Stephen Hampton, 46, and Steven Ayres, 56, were arrested last month after checking in to a hotel near Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Stephen Hampton: Fined 25,000 rupees by a Delhi court (Picture: BBC)
They aroused suspicion after they had asked for a room overlooking the runway, and were found with cameras, binoculars, a laptop and radio scanner.
The pair appeared before magistrates in the Indian capital this morning and were told they could leave for the UK – despite a 10-year jail threat hanging over them in the early days when they faced spying charges.
Their appearance in court had been delayed until today after they were due to attend on Wednesday – a delay which they said had left them feeling “devastated”.
After the hearing, defence lawyer Rajeev Awasthi told Asian Image the restrictions on leaving the country had been lifted and they were free to return to the UK.
“They have been released,” he said. “A fine was imposed on them and they are allowed to go. They have pleaded guilty. They admitted they needed a licence.
“They can go back to Britain, a few formalities are left. Their bail condition was overruled, they are free.”
Their arrest on February 15 came just two days after a bomb blast at a German Bakery in Pune, the first major strike of its kind in India since the deadly Mumbai attacks in November 2008.
Your Comments