A court has heard how dozens of passengers at Heathrow's Terminal 3 were left coughing, choking and in some cases "vomiting blood" after tear gas was sprayed near a Caffe Nero during a robbery on 7 December last year, with the men responsible due to be sentenced this week.
Isleworth Crown Court heard on Friday that Tyrone Richards, 31, Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25, Omoneke Whyte, 31, and Denzel Eduardo, 29, who pleaded guilty to affray in June, sprayed a substance "believed to be CS spray" into a lift at an airport car park at around 8am. Three of the men were wearing face coverings and dark clothing, the Evening Standard reported from the hearing.
The lift held two women who had just arrived on a British Airways flight from Johannesburg, along with two men who had come to meet them. When the group blocked the attackers from getting into the lift, gas was released once it reached the ground floor, causing what the court heard were "difficulties for people, particularly at a Caffe Nero nearby." One barista told the court she began coughing and vomiting blood after feeling "fine one minute" and unwell the next.
The two women were then followed to the airport's taxi forecourt, where one was sprayed in the face with CS gas at close range and their suitcases were stolen and never recovered, prosecutors said. Passengers described chaos in the terminal, with a customer service agent saying she felt "dizzy" and that a wheelchair user she was assisting struggled to breathe. A mother travelling with her 14-month-old son said she feared for the baby's safety as he began to cough.
The Evening Standard and the Mirror both reported that the incident caused Terminal 3 to be locked down and closed for several hours, with knock-on delays to shuttle buses and trains serving the terminal. Prosecutor Gary Rutter told the court that 20 to 30 people were affected, with some taken to hospital.
The four defendants are due to be sentenced by Mr Justice Inyundo this coming Wednesday. Defence lawyers told the court their clients were remorseful, though one denied personally releasing the gas.
What this means for your journey: this was a targeted, isolated attack rather than an ongoing security threat, and Terminal 3 has operated normally since. If you are travelling to or from Heathrow, our public transport guide has current information on Terminal 3 services should there be any disruption around Wednesday's sentencing.