Three Bradford University students who shone a powerful laser at the West Yorkshire Police helicopter were spared immediate prison sentences today.

The Greek men, in the UK to study English, disrupted a police chase when the pilot was repeatedly struck in the eyes by the beam, Bradford Crown Court heard.

They pleaded guilty to recklessly or negligently acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft or any person in it on Sunday, March 22.

On Friday Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC remanded two of the students – Themis Kalogridis, 23, and Vaggelis Giannakakos, 21 – in custody until today’s sentencing hearing.

The third student – Vasileios Keramidas, 22 – was in Greece last week because his father was seriously ill.

Judge Durham Hall sentenced all three students to six months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months.

They must each do 150 hours’ unpaid work, pay £200 prosecution costs and foot the bill for their own defences.

The judge said he had been promised all three men will undertake a year of strict military service in their homeland when their education is complete.

Prosecutor Heather Weir said the students were caught by police in an attic bedroom of the address they shared in St Margaret’s Terrace, Great Horton, Bradford. Equipment on the helicopter pinpointed the exact room the laser pen had been shone from.