A British man was charged after he allegedly flew from Heathrow in London all the way to New York's JFK airport without a ticket or passport.
46-year-old Craig Sturt has been accused of following another passenger through security and passport checks at Heathrow Airport before boarding a British Airways flight bound for New York.
The man is then believed to have been detained by armed officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport when it was discovered that he had no official documents with him, before being sent back to the UK on a charter flight.
He was then arrested after arriving back in the UK and charged with offences under the Aviation Security Act.
Advert
According to court records, he admitted the offences to Uxbridge Magistrates Court but the 46-year-old man has since been the subject of a missing person's appeal.
On 30 January, Thames Valley Police issued a picture of Sturt and asked members of the public whether they could help find him.
They said: "Urgent missing person appeal. Please can you help us find Craig? 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.
Advert
"Craig was last seen in Reading, but is from Slough and also has links to Heathrow and the Tottenham Court Road in London. If you see Craig, please do not approach him, instead call 999."
He had been reported missing on 25 January, a month after he was arrested at Heathrow, and the Met Police took over the investigation on 31 January.
A statement from the Met Police said: "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.
"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."
Advert
The issue of how a man was seemingly able to walk onto a passenger plane without ticket or passport is under investigation.
"All people who go airside are subject to security screening, including the individual involved in this case," a Heathrow spokesperson said.
"We are supporting the authorities with their ongoing investigation."
A British Airways spokesperson told LADbible: "We are assisting the authorities with their investigation."
LADbible have contacted the Home Office for comment.
Joe Harker