Sussex Police pays £55,000 to couple arrested during Gatwick drone incident but lawyer seeks extra £145,000 in legal costs

Sussex Police has paid £55,000 to a couple arrested during the Gatwick drone incident in 2018 but their lawyer is now seeking an extra £145,000 to cover legal costs.
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A police spokesman confirmed the joint settlement was made on a no liability basis, avoiding lengthy court proceedings.

He added: “We remain in discussion in relation to their request for legal costs.

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“All parties agreed that the allegations of unlawful arrest and detention were matters that could only be settled through the courts.

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“However, we recognise that things could have been done differently and have apologised to them for the impact of their experience.”

In a statement to this newspaper the lawyer for the couple – Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy – said he had submitted a bill for £145,000 in legal costs to Sussex Police.

A police investigation into the illegal drone incursions at Gatwick Airport concluded at least two drones were behind the attack.

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The incident, during the peak Christmas period, led to the airport being closed for 30 hours, disrupting 1,000 flights and more than 140,000 passengers.

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