A MAN who caused a flight to be diverted to Stansted Airport after making a hoax bomb threat has been jailed for three years.

James Glen, 38, caused an Etihad Airways flight bound for Heathrow from Abu Dhabi to be diverted to Stansted on January 24, 2011.

His actions sparked an international incident and the diversion of the aircraft to Stansted Airport under RAF fighter escort. A full emergency response was put into action, requiring all emergency services to attend.

Glen had pleaded guilty to making a hoax bomb threat at a previous hearing. He was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court today (Friday April 8).

Deputy Divisional Commander, Chief Insp Graham Stubbs, said: “Although this was probably a one-off act of drunken stupidity, Mr Glen’s actions caused a large number of people a great deal of anxiety and inconvenience, as well as wasting a considerable amount of public and private money.

“This type of behaviour, especially in the current climate, is just not acceptable and quite rightly, the robust sentence reflects this.

“I now hope that anyone who thinks about making a joke around issues of security within the aviation arena reflects carefully upon the fate of Mr Glen, before doing something they subsequently regret.”