73-year-old Gold Coast man accused of pointing high powered laser at police helicopter

A 73-year-old man has been accused of pointing a high powered laser at a police helicopter on the Gold Coast, allegedly giving officers a bizarre reason for his actions. SEE THE POLAIR VIDEO

A 73-year-old man is facing serious charges after allegedly pointing a high-powered laser at a police helicopter because the noise of it was keeping him awake.

The bizarre incident unfolded at about 10.30pm on Sunday night when the Polair chopper was tasked to Labrador on the Gold Coast after reports that suspected stolen vehicles had been seen driving dangerously.

However the operation was disrupted when a high-powered laser was pointed at the helicopter.

Technology on board the craft allowed officers to pinpoint the location of the laser, with police on the ground quickly heading to the address.

There they found a 73-year-old man who allegedly admitted to officers he had pointed the powerful beam at the helicopter because it was keeping him awake.

“The aircraft are equipped with devices that can actually detect these sorts of lasers and zero in on exactly where it’s being emitted from,” Acting Superintendent Scott Knowles said.

“We had a police patrol attend that location.

“A 73-year-old was spoken to by police about it. He’s made admissions to targeting the aircraft with a laser – he said it was a little bit too noisy for him to sleep. So he’s then targeted it with the laser, hoping it would go away. Unfortunately (for him) he’s had a visit from police.”

The Queensland Police Service Polair chopper Brett A Forte pictured at Chermside in April 2023. Picture: David Clark.

The man has been charged under the Weapons Act with possession of a restricted weapon and under the Civil Aviation Act for endangering an aircraft. He will appear before the Southport Magistrates Court on October 14.

Acting Supt Knowles said the alleged pointing of lasers at aircraft had potentially serious ramifications if a pilot was blinded temporarily by the light. He said any such behaviour would “not be tolerated” by police.

He also stressed the important role played by police helicopters.

“We appreciate that it can be noisy but it’s there for the safety of the community. It’s not that we fly it over people’s houses just to keep them awake, it’s actually there patrolling, it’s there to keep them safe, it’s there to assist our frontline officers with identifying and locating these offenders that are out in the community. It’s that additional safety for our community,” he said.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a chopper here. One’s only rolled out in Cairns very recently. But our chopper has been instrumental in quite a number of significant arrests here on the Gold Coast.

“So the power that this platform gives us in identifying and apprehending offenders is certainly worth some of the inconvenience.”

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Originally published as 73-year-old Gold Coast man accused of pointing high powered laser at police helicopter