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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Indian court fines plane-spotters | Indian court fines plane-spotters |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Two British plane-spotters have been fined 25,000 rupees each (£365) by an Indian court after admitting illegally monitoring aircraft. | Two British plane-spotters have been fined 25,000 rupees each (£365) by an Indian court after admitting illegally monitoring aircraft. |
| Stephen Hampton, 46, and Steven Ayres, 56, both from Bristol, appeared before magistrates in Delhi charged with intercepting communications. | Stephen Hampton, 46, and Steven Ayres, 56, both from Bristol, appeared before magistrates in Delhi charged with intercepting communications. |
| The pair, who had faced jail, were told they could return to the UK. | The pair, who had faced jail, were told they could return to the UK. |
| They had sparked suspicion after asking a Delhi hotel for a room overlooking Indira Gandhi International Airport. | |
| They were carrying an air traffic control scanner, a laptop, binoculars and cameras. | They were carrying an air traffic control scanner, a laptop, binoculars and cameras. |
| 'It's been horrendous' | |
| The arrests happened during a security crackdown in the wake of a bomb blast in the Indian city of Pune, the country's first such explosion in over a year. | The arrests happened during a security crackdown in the wake of a bomb blast in the Indian city of Pune, the country's first such explosion in over a year. |
| Speaking from her home in the St George's area of Bristol, Steven Ayres' wife Dorothy said she was "just overwhelmed" at the news. | |
| She said: "At least I know he's safe. It's a bit of a shock, but a nice shock. | |
| "I'm relieved it is all over and we don't have to go through anymore of this hell. | |
| "It's been horrendous because its been so far away." | |
| A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that two British nationals were fined by the Indian courts. They are now free to return to the UK." |