Court frees two plane-spotting Britons

New Delhi, March 5: A city court Friday freed two plane-spotting British nationals who were accused of recording conversations between pilots and the Air Traffic Control here.

After admitting their guilt in the court, Stephen Hampston , 46, and Steve Martin, 55, stated that they had been ignorant of the penal consequences of their plane-spotting hobby in this country.

Rajeev Awasthi, counsel for the accused, pleaded that they be permitted to leave the country as nothing incriminating has been found against them so far.

Accepting the submissions, the court asked the Britons to deposit a fine of Rs.25,000 each.

The court also asked Delhi Police to return their laptops, which were seized at the time of their arrest.

The Britons, who are employed with Railways in England, were confined to Radisson Hotel near the international airport here on Feb 15 after hotel staff reported to police that they were indulging in suspicious activities.