A 16-YEAR-OLD boy has been charged with shining a laser pen into the cockpit of a police helicopter.
He will appear before magistrates next month accused of the offence, which is a growing menace around Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The alleged incident happened on November 20 in Speke, as an Easyjet flight from Belfast to Merseyside was in the air.
The pilot noticed a small light streaming straight at him and reported the incident to police.
A search of the area led to a youth being arrested who has since been charged.
During the hunt, a laser was shone into the cockpit of the force helicopter as it searched he vicinity.
Officers in a patrol car were dispatched and made an arrest.
The boy, from north Liverpool, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with endangering two aircraft.
Incidents of people shining laser pens at pilots have tripled in the last 12 months.
