London: man arrested for traveling to New York without passport or ticket

A British man, accused of taking a flight from London to New York without a ticket or passport, was arrested Monday morning in Richmond, southwest of London, according to police. Craig Sturt is accused of failing to appear at a hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on January 22 while being prosecuted for obtaining services by deception, being unlawfully airside and boarding a plane without permission, London's Metropolitan Police Service headquarters told British newspaper The Sun.

The man, aged 46, was arrested for the first time on December 25, 2023 after his return to London on a flight from New York. The Uxbridge public prosecutor's office confirmed to Le Figaro that the defendant had admitted the facts.

Craig Sturt is believed to have been subject to standard security screening processes, which are known to be strict at Heathrow Airport. “Everyone who goes airside is subject to security screening, including the person involved in this matter,” an airport spokesperson said.

Craig Sturt was also allegedly allowed to pass airside without a boarding pass before boarding a bus to join a British Airways plane, where he mingled with a crowd of other passengers eager to arrive in New York in time for Christmas, reports the British newspaper.

None of the cabin crew realized that Sturt should not have been on the plane. It wasn't until he arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport that Customs and Border Protection agents realized he was a stowaway.

British Airways and Heathrow Airport said they supported “the authorities in their ongoing investigation.”