Man warned he could face prison after kicking a policeman at Gatwick Airport

A Crawley man who kicked a police officer after being told to leave Gatwick Airport has been warned he could face prison.
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Louis Felicite, 26, unemployed, of Iveagh Close, Broadfield, pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates Court on December 18 to assaulting PC Stuart Halfpenny by beating, and to being in the airport in breach of a written prohibition from the airport management.

He was fined a total of £284 and police then gave him a 12-month Community Protection Notice, prohibiting him from entering the airport.

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Police say that breach of the notice can result in the court issuing a Criminal Behaviour Order, failure to comply with which can result in a prison sentence.

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A police spokesman said the attack on the officer happened after he saw Felicite at a closed coffee seating area in South Terminal Arrivals on December 17 and told him to leave as he had been given a written notice by Gatwick Airport Ltd under airport byelaws and the 1986 Airports Act.

The spokesman said: “Felicite refused to leave and was arrested for breaching the prohibition but resisted, kicking the officer’s leg, and had to be restrained for some time before calming and being taken to custody.”

Sergeant Ian Hatcher added; “This man has been a persistent nuisance to staff and passengers in the public areas of the airport over the course of the past year.

“He has been coming here on multiple occasions, without any legitimate reason.”