Craig Sturt: British stowaway charged for travel without documents reported missing

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A British man has gone missing after he was charged with flying from London to New York without both a ticket or his passport.

Craig Sturt is accused of slipping by means of Heathrow Airport‘s security checks without presenting any documents before boarding a British Airways flight to John F Kennedy airport, again without having his ticket checked.

The 46-year-old was stopped on arrival at the airport in New York by a gun-toting officer on Christmas Eve and sent back to the UK on a charter flight.

Mr Sturt was arrested upon landing on Christmas day and charged with offences under the Aviation Security Act.

Accused of boarding the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner “without having paid for a ticket”, Sturt allegedly slipped through checks by walking closely behind other passengers or “tailgating” them. He found a seat on the fully booked plane after several passengers missed their connecting flights, reported The Sun.

He admitted the offences at Uxbridge Magistrates’ court docket and was to be sentenced final month. However, extra embarrassment adopted for UK officers after he failed to look earlier than the court docket. According to experiences, the Metropolitan Police had taken Mr Sturt for remedy at a hospital in Reading, from which he escaped.

Home secretary James Cleverly is reportedly conscious of the incident and has demanded to know the way the “humiliating fiasco” was in a position to occur, sources informed the Mail.

Thames Valley Police issued an arrest warrant in opposition to Mr Sturt after he was reported missing on 25 January. “Please can you help us find Craig?” it learn.

“The 46-year-old is 6ft, slim, with short dark brown hair. When he was last seen, he was wearing a grey jacket, a top, black jogging bottoms and white trainers.”

He was final seen in Reading however is from Slough and in addition has hyperlinks to Heathrow and the Tottenham Court Road in London, learn the attraction. The publish warned folks in opposition to approaching him and stated members of the general public ought to name the police if he’s noticed.

The Metropolitan Police have taken over the investigation as of 31 January.

“On 24 December 2023, police were made aware of an alleged breach of security at Heathrow Airport and a male was subsequently arrested and later charged with fraud and Aviation Security Act offences,” it stated in a press release.

“We continue to work with all our partners to review and enhance the already robust security measures in place which are kept under constant review by the wider security partnership.”

Mr Sturt’s brother Lee Smith, 52, informed The Sun on Sunday that he “couldn’t believe what [he] was hearing” when police contacted him to say they had been searching his brother.

“It’s ridiculous this could happen. If Craig, with a troubled past, could dodge security then presumably anyone else with sinister motives could do the same. Heads should roll. How has this been allowed to happen?”

Heathrow Airport stated Mr Sturt would have gone by means of safety, but it surely remained unclear how he was in a position to keep away from doc checks both earlier than and after.

“We proceed to work with all our companions to overview and improve the already strong safety measures in place that are stored beneath fixed overview by the broader safety partnership,” stated a Heathrow spokesperson.

A British Airways spokesperson additionally issued a press release saying they “are assisting the authorities with their investigation”.