Dozens of passengers at Heathrow Airport were left coughing and some vomited blood after tear gas was sprayed near a Caffè Nero branch last year, a court has heard. The airport's Terminal 3 was closed for hours after the incident on December 7 last year, which also saw tear gas sprayed in the face of a woman who had her suitcase taken.
Guilty pleas and sentencing hearing
Tyrone Richards, 31; Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25; Omoneke Whyte, 31; and Denzel Eduardo, 29, pleaded guilty to affray at Isleworth Crown Court in June. A sentencing hearing at the same court on Friday heard that three of the defendants, wearing face coverings and dark clothing, sprayed a substance believed to be CS spray into a lift at an airport car park at 8am on December 7.
The lift contained two women who had arrived on a flight from Johannesburg in South Africa that morning and two men who had met the women at the airport. The court heard that the defendants were prevented from entering the lift by the group as innocent parties ran away from the lift in some distress.
Impact on passengers and staff
Gas was emitted once the lift arrived at the ground floor, causing difficulties for people, particularly at a Caffè Nero nearby, with some people being taken to hospital, the court heard. A barista at Caffè Nero, who started to cough and vomit blood, told the court she was scared as she felt fine one minute and then almost instantly unwell.
The women who had arrived from Johannesburg then went to an airport taxi forecourt where the defendants followed them and took their suitcases, which were never recovered. CS gas, used by police forces worldwide as tear gas to temporarily incapacitate people, was sprayed in the face of one of the women at close range at 8.03am, causing her to start coughing and choking, the court heard.
Passengers leaving and travelling to the airport faced disruption, including delays to shuttle buses and trains, after Terminal 3 was locked down following the incident. A customer service agent at Terminal 3 said the incident was terrifying, adding she felt dizzy and like she was going to pass out, and that a woman in a wheelchair she was assisting was struggling to breathe and using an inhaler.
Further testimony and defence statements
A mother who arrived from a flight from South Africa with her 14-month-old son said her child started to cough, telling the court: “I was immediately afraid for my baby’s safety and my own safety”. A man who was ordering a taxi from the airport’s car park said 20 to 30 people were all coughing after the incident and he was struggling to breathe.
Prosecutor Gary Rutter said he could not say exactly what led to this incident, but one may suspect what was going on. He added that the incident left members of the public coughing, vomiting, and some vomited blood. Richards was arrested while still at the airport, and the other three defendants were later identified and arrested separately.
Genevieve Moss, representing Eduardo, said the CS gas was discharged by the rival group, adding that he has asthma and this would have had a dangerous impact on him. The lawyer said Eduardo, who has 12 previous convictions for 18 offences, would have not agreed to take part in any activity involving such a substance and expressed deep remorse.
Rushnay Sikander, representing Whyte, said he was very remorseful, adding he had a traumatic childhood including his father being murdered when he was five years old and that he had been the victim of three separate stabbings. Shanda McAteer, representing Clarke-Butcher, who has 14 convictions for 31 offences, said he denied releasing the gas and genuinely expresses remorse.
Patrick Harte, representing Richards, who has three previous convictions, said he was not present when the first spray was released and was sorry to innocent bystanders suffering anguish. The sentencing hearing continues.
