Four men have been sentenced to prison after a tear gas attack at London Heathrow Airport left 21 people injured and caused parts of Terminal 3 to close temporarily.

Tyrone Richards, 31, Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25, Omoneke Whyte, 31, and Denzel Eduardo, 29, previously pleaded guilty to affray at Isleworth Crown Court.

The incident happened outside Terminal 3 on December 7. Three of the men, dressed in black and wearing face coverings, entered a lift and released what was believed to be CS spray.

At the time, two men and two women were inside the lift. The female passengers had reportedly just arrived in London from Johannesburg on a British Airways flight.

One woman was sprayed directly in the face at close range, causing her to cough and choke. When the lift reached the ground floor, the gas spread into the surrounding area, affecting other passengers and airport workers.

A worker at a nearby Caffè Nero reportedly began coughing violently and vomiting blood after being exposed to the substance. A Terminal 3 customer service employee also described feeling dizzy and as though she was about to lose consciousness.

Prosecutors said the four men later followed the two female passengers to the airport taxi area, where their luggage was stolen. The court heard that the defendants appeared particularly interested in the women’s suitcases.

During sentencing, Judge Kwame Inyundo described the incident as serious, saying the victims had been targeted by a group and that the violence was sustained.

Richards was sentenced to 27 months in prison, while Whyte and Eduardo each received 23-month sentences. Clarke-Butcher was sentenced to 21 months.

Lawyers for the defendants offered mitigating circumstances during the hearing. Eduardo’s lawyer said he had asthma and argued that the substance would have posed a serious risk to him. Whyte’s lawyer said he was remorseful and referred to his difficult childhood, while Clarke-Butcher’s lawyer said her client expressed genuine remorse.

Richards’ lawyer maintained that he was not present when the first spray was released but said he was sorry for the distress caused to innocent members of the public.

The case has drawn attention to the dangers of using incapacitating chemicals in crowded public areas, particularly at major transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport.

Source: Sky News – Four men jailed after tear gas sprayed into an airport lift