https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCck6avUApxISvZ163Ub3NOg/videos?view=57
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Liverpool Echo have spelt his name Nicholas Durbin.
Not sure which is correct, adding this one for search reference:
hmm… I wonder how they knew the uav had flown blos and above 400ft before investigation? I’m guessing that once they looked at flight logs that provided evidence of infringement, but when they came knocking they may not have known this.
The stadium(s) is only no fly when there are assemblies of people or a frz is in place?
And it does not sound/ read like it was a match day or event?
…I hear the buttons tapping to delete flight logs…
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AeroScope probably grassed him up, lots of police actively scanning with AS Mobile at events like this.
They don’t need logs, they already have the data (assuming they’re flying DJI of course) 
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the 400ft is arguable is it not as the drone will just output it’s co-ordinates but are they not relative to the take off point, so if you were flying up or down a hill they would be incorrect?
was there an event going on or were they just actively scanning?
the several km flight is not one you could argue… unless you were flying 500m in one direction and 500m in another direction and stood in the middle, but he probably would have had a problem with that if he had flown from the wirral across the mersey
an interesting read from 2022
DJI AeroScope Mobile Vs DJI AeroScope G8 Portable - heliguy™
But all the data is there, it would be easy to work out
Mersey police says Nicholas Durbin, 45,
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There was a drone cop years ago, around the time of lockdown if memory serves, that used to drive round with AeroScope running on the passenger seat of his unmarked Mitsubishi L200.
He used to be a member on here too back in the day, a bunch of us have met him over the years.
The range of these things is crazy, largely because the broadcast range of OcuSync is crazy big.
There’s lots of proactive scanning going on all the time.
Good.
Daft thing is, there seems to be no restriction around the stadium when there is no event taking place there, and he could easily have flown it legally, by TOAL closer to it on the Liverpool side of the river and staying within 400’ AGL; it’d a big stadium, but not that big!. I flew the Millenium, sorry, Principlality stadium in Cardiff back in November, without having to go BVLOS or above 400’. Admittedly I TOALed from across the river, but the Taff is not as wide as the Mersey at these locations…
I have little sympathy for him, taking the Anglesey incident into account he sounds like an arrogant and stupid scofflaw, and I agree with the court’s heavy fine.
Whilst the media said he was fined for overflying the stadium, his charges were for two offences of failing to comply with operating height and two offences of failing to keep an unmanned aircraft in sight.
Pat.
The stadium isnt opened yet, still under construction. Hence no sign of flight restrictions.
I was sent the police article today by one of my mates, while I was out flying on the river myself. Although I have nothing to worry about people like that are why the police are so interested in my flying a few days ago, but their chat came to nothing because I was doing what I should.
But I see other locals and its pretty obvious how they get caught up to no good. If you post to facebook or other social media the following… 1. video showing an overflight of a 1.2km wide river start to finish. 2. posting a picture with the caption “a quick flight from Egremont to look at the bramley moore stadium”.
If you really want to look at the stadium then fly a mini as it is or something a bit bigger with a2CofC from multiple spots on the Regent road you will capture it all with no issues.
It’s all about getting the maximum number of clicks, Pat, more ad revenue etc then for the websites
it’s easy to take the view of “good” or “serves him right” etc etc, but it’s very easy to break any number of laws and some of us who do fly do begin to realise that there are a number of things that could happen of that you could do that could mean that you could be caught out very easily. I would not wish ill on anyone, but take it as an awareness and lesson to be learned. if you wish to be the drone police then you are probably best popping over to facebook to join the marauding crowds of baying onlookers and armchair judges, juries and enthusiatic excecutioners … until that is they are faced with actually having to undertake such a task.
I am interested to know why he was levied a victim surcharge… who was the victim and how does the victim obtain this cash?
Durbin, of Merlin Avenue, Upton, was found guilty at Sefton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 13 on four offences - two offences of being the remote pilot of an unmanned aircraft failing to comply with operating height and two offences of being the remote pilot of an unmanned aircraft failing to keep unmanned aircraft in sight. He was given a combined fine of £1600, victim surcharge of £640 and costs of £650 totalling £2,890.
I just made the link and put a face to the name, Nick. Met him last year at the berthing trials at the IOM ferry terminal and he was a sound bloke.
He already had a run in with the police recent to that that didnt go anywhere but I wonder if posting the video of that to his youtube prompted them to dig deeper into his flights. They did seem quite determined to get him on something until they realised he had a camera running.
I’m guessing they just watched the video he posted on YouTube of him doing it… there’s at least one other video still up on that channel showing a >1.5km flight across the Mersey.
It’s not for any victims on his crime, it funds general services to support all victims of crime.
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put that in the Muppet category then of wanting to be done in by posting questionable footage (think the one about the ratio tower may have been a bit over 400ft considering the tower is at 450ft… but then I am falling for the drone police title !
450 feet may be from sea level but if you take off from the pavement its still within regs. Here was mine with an unedited pic for comparison, in line with the crows nest as the antenna squad call it.
I dont see the tower flight as one he was pulled on.
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Video ?
Or it didn’t happen 
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