If you’ve ever owned a laser pointer, chances are you’ve been told at least once to never aim the thing into people’s eyes especially if, say, they’re driving a car or flying a plane. Here’s what happened to a group of lads in Birmingham who shined a laser into the cockpit of a police helicopter:

Wow — pretty sure they didn’t see that one coming. The kid responsible, Chris Vowles, was sentenced to 7 months and 250 hours of unpaid work, and was also ordered to pay £100 victim’s surcharge and £300 costs.

A bit harsh? Well, here’s what might’ve happened to the police helicopter in a worst case scenario.