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A former council housing official turned businessman has been jailed for shining a powerful torch at RAF jets.

John Arthur Jones, 66, was called arrogant by Judge Geraint Walters as he was jailed for 18 months after previously being convicted of endangering jets at RAF Mona, Anglesey, by shining the torch at them as they flew over his home.

Sentencing him, the judge told him: “You possess an abundance of self belief in your own ability to achieve things, which transcends all reason and which is born out of profound arrogance.”

"The consequences could have been devastating"

He said when Jones failed to move the flight paths from above his home and away from an ambitious development of Canadian lodges which failed, he launched a campaign of intimidation against them.

“The risk caused here was significant,” he said.

“The consequences could have been devastating. Your conduct became a campaign over a long period of time.”

He refused to suspend the sentence and said people had to be deterred “from such potentially life threatening behaviour”

Jones, he said, had indulged in a determined campaign over many months.

The illuminations took place during night flying training sorties as pilots came in to land.

They followed a carefully executed series of procedures and often split second decisions had to be made.

“Any distraction is a potential danger during this stage,” Judge Walters told him.

The opportunity for night time training was limited for operation and financial reasons.

Each time an attempted landing failed, that presented a lost opportunity for the pilots being trained and considerable expense or the RAF, the judge said.

'Danger to the lives of pilots'

Prosecuting barrister John Philpotts said that a statement from the RAF showed the effects of his actions.

There was the obvious danger to the lives of pilots who could have been disrupted to the extent that there could have been a fatal accident. There was not, the court heard, but his actions raised the risk of that occurring, he said.

He said there was a danger to the users of the A5 and A55, adding “We are all horrifically familiar with the events at Shoreham.”

There was disruption to military training. Night time training had to be rescheduled as a result of his actions with a knock on effect on air crews and local residents. More sorties had to be carried out because of the number aborted because of Jones.

Mr Philpotts said that any delay in the training of pilots would have an effect on front line troops.

It meant a delay in them being deployed to front line units, supporting troops on active service.

He said that pilots had to give evidence which caused disruption to training and operations.

Court told Jones was said to 'be on a mission'

The court had heard how Jones was said to be on a mission against the RAF in a bid to get the jets, using the 100 year old air strip, to stop flying above his home at Plas Cefni.

When he failed to persuade them the prosecution at Mold Crown Court claimed that he took the law into his own hands, and shone a powerful light at the fast jets while pilots were being trained in night flying for front line combat.

That, the court heard, could have had devastating consequences causing disorientation and the loss of night vision as pilots did vital checks for landing.

Many of the pilots were young men being trained to risk their lives in some of the world’s hotspots and one was flying solo for the first time when he was blinded.

Undercover police officers were drafted in and they caught him red handed.

Defendant said he was simply filming the jets

Jones said he was simply filming the jets as part of a compensation claim against the MOD.

He denied that he had a vendetta against the RAF because his plans for luxury holiday lodges nearby did not get off the ground, allegedly because of jet noise.

Jones, who planned to raise a weather balloon above his home at one stage, said he supported the military and wanted the RAF to move flight paths for the benefit of children at a private nursery.

But after a retirement of more than four hours the 11-strong jury returned and the forewoman announced that they had found him unanimously guilty on all 13 charges.

Denied charges

During the three week trial, Jones denied 13 charges of endangering aircraft between November 2013 and September 2014.

Defending barrister Lisa Judge said he and others had to endure trauma because of the noise of jets.

The evidence fathered for part of a civil claim showed that the noise levels were “utterly unbelievable.”

He was clearly well thought of in the Anglesey community, she said.