A couple who were arrested and released without charge over the Gatwick drone incident have said they feel “completely violated” and are receiving medical care.

Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk said in a statement outside their home in Crawley, West Sussex, that they had been deeply distressed by what they called their “disgusting” treatment in sections of the media, after they were detained in relation to the drone flights last week that brought the airport to a standstill.

They were released after 36 hours of questioning. Their friends expressed dismay that the couple had been arrested in the first place.

Their pictures appeared on a number of Sunday newspaper front pages, one of which asked: “Are these the morons who ruined Christmas?” The television presenter Piers Morgan apologised after describing the pair as clowns in a tweet, and said the situation was a fiasco.

Flights were suspended for more than 36 hours when a drone was spotted close to the runway on Wednesday night.

Speaking from the couple’s doorstep on Monday afternoon, Gait, 47, a window fitter, said: “As you can probably imagine, we are feeling completely violated. Our home has been searched and our privacy and identity completely exposed. Our names, photos and other personal information has been broadcast throughout the world.”

The couple arrested and then cleared by police over the drone disruption at Gatwick airport say they feel "completely violated" and are receiving medical care



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Breaking down in tears as he stood next to his 54-year-old wife, he said: “We are deeply distressed, as are our family and friends, and we are currently receiving medical care. The way we were initially perceived is disgusting, although those that knew us didn’t doubt us for a second.

“Post-release without charge or further action, we are totally overwhelmed by the support we have received from the people all over the world, and we would like to thank every single one that has done that. We would ask that the press please respect our privacy and leave us to try and get through Christmas as best we can.”

The couple’s statement followed days of confusion about the status of the police investigation, with questions even raised over the very nature of the incident on Sunday, when DCS Jason Tingley of Sussex police said there was “always a possibility that there may not have been any genuine drone activity in the first place”.

A government source said on Monday that police accepted during an hour-long conference call with ministers, chaired by the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, that there had been a communications failure.

Sussex police also moved to quash speculation, saying the force could “unequivocally state” that there had been “numerous reports clustered around 37 occasions where a drone or drones were seen”.

DCC Jo Shiner said: “The impact of this criminal and reckless behaviour has been enormous and we are determined to locate those responsible to bring them to justice.”

The force said in a statement: “We are clear that there were multiple confirmed sightings of drone activity at the airport. Therefore we took the necessary actions to ensure the safety of passengers using our airport.

“Safety will always be our number-one priority. We continue to support the police with their investigations into this illegal and deliberate act to disrupt Gatwick airport’s operations.”