Anti-noise protester jailed for dozens of Gatwick bomb hoaxes (From The Argus)

Anti-noise protester jailed for dozens of Gatwick bomb hoaxes

4:45pm Monday 6th July 2009 in

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A Crawley anti-airport protester was jailed for three-and-a-half years today for sending a series of bomb hoaxes and threats to Gatwick over a five-year period.

Gary Collins, 57, took direct action against the West Sussex airport because he had suffered with noise disturbance since a young child.

He continued his campaign during the London terror attacks of July 7 and 21 2005, the heightened security at airports in August 2006, and the attack at Glasgow Airport in 2007.

Collins, of Garden Walk, West Green, Crawley, West Sussex, was an "archetypal loner" who suffered from a personality disorder, Lewes Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to 34 counts of communicating false information and three counts of sending hoax noxious substances from October 2003 to October last year.

Prosecutor Dale Sullivan said Collins sent letters or packages to the airport, including one which included a note stating: "You started the war, we will finish it."

Some others were sent marked as anthrax or biological material, and one package carried a note saying: "Die you evil pigs."

Detailing examples of Collins' threats, Mr Sullivan said one letter told staff there was a bomb in an aircraft toilet, another said a bomb was imminent and a further one referred to stopping aircraft noise.

Others said "Explosive device on aircraft" and another stated "Bomb in main building". Mr Sullivan told the court: "The impact on BAA was a serious one as they were not threats they could simply brush off."

He added that the airport was not shut at any time but a substantial amount of time was invested into investigating the series of threats and hoaxes made by Collins.

Collins was eventually arrested as a result of "old fashioned" techniques by Sussex Police but he offered no comment in interviews, even when presented with forensic evidence.

Defence counsel Andrew Stephens said in mitigation that although Collins does not suffer from a clear mental illness, experts believe he has a personality disorder.

Mr Stephens described Collins, who had no previous convictions, as an "archetypal loner" who has little to do with his family and has only ever had sporadic periods of employment.

Explaining the motive behind his actions, Mr Stephens said: "He fixated upon Gatwick Airport. He suffers from noise, noise at Gatwick in particular became too much for him to bear.

"He should have sought other avenues, like petitioning his MP. He chose to take a direct stance. Although an extremely long-standing campaign, it was a naive and unsophisticated campaign."

Mr Stephens said letters were often sent second class, showing a lack of thought behind his campaign and other threats contained what at first glance was clearly pepper.

The court also heard that Collins said he decided to reduce the number of threatening letters and packages he sent when the cost of postage became too expensive for him.

Mr Stephens went on: "This is a 57-year-old man who has led a difficult life, a life which from the very outset has gone against him ... a man who makes a campaign, I accept, but was unsophisticated and fruitless in that no disruption was caused."

Judge Michael Lawson QC jailed Collins for three-and-a-half years on each count, to run concurrently.

The judge told him: "Airports are particularly vulnerable to that sort of attack because they are responsible for the safety of thousands of people at any one time.

"Therefore, members of the staff, the police and other enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating every one of those warnings."

He added: "You, in your interview with the probation service, indicated that it was deliberate and that you were not sorry for what you had done.

"You were sorry that you got caught and that if you could do it again without being caught, you would."

The judge said such comments led him to conclude that Collins remains a danger.