A WEALTHY businessman is accused of attacking a helicopter in a rage after it scattered debris across his car when landing in a shared garden in southwestern England, local website thisisbristol.co.uk reported today.
Houshang Jafari, 59, was said to be “livid” after the helicopter landed on the lawn – shared by apartment owners – to take a number of his neighbors to lunch in March 2009.
He hit the nose of the chopper with a plastic bag before clinging on to the skid of the aircraft as it took off, making it lurch from side to side, a court heard yesterday.
One of the passengers on board, Elizabeth Hale, told the jury of her terror as the helicopter tilted at a dangerous angle.
“He (Jafari) clung on to the skid and we lurched to the right. It was a bit of a blur after that. I started to cry. I think I was saying I thought I was going to die,” she said.
Defense lawyer Sam Jones told the court Jafari experienced a difficult history with his neighbors, including disputes over dogs and an uncompleted fence.
He denies endangering the safety of an aircraft outside his home. The trial continues.
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