Overview
- Christopher McEwan, 46, was sentenced at Norwich Magistrates’ Court to a £2,000 fine, an £800 victim surcharge and £110 costs, with his drone ordered for destruction.
- He pleaded guilty to 17 offences spanning 44 flights between January and June last year, including flying without competency, exceeding height limits and going beyond visual line of sight.
- Court evidence showed his drone entered the airport flightpath and came within roughly 350 metres of a Cessna after climbing to about 1,900 feet.
- He admitted flying over firefighters at the former Van Dal factory blaze and over HMP Norwich, where he captured images of prisoners in an exercise yard.
- Norfolk police described a blatant disregard for safety rules, and Norwich Airport reminded operators that flights within its 2.5‑nautical‑mile restriction zone require prior air traffic control permission, while defence counsel cited mental health issues and expressed regret on his behalf.