A MAJOR security probe was launched after an extraordinary series of blunders allowed a man to fly from the UK to New York without a passport or boarding pass.
Home Secretary James Cleverly was “demanding answers” after the passenger boarded a British Airways flight from Heathrow without any documentation whatsoever.
The jaw-dropping security lapse was said to have been thought “impossible, post 9/11” and has left Border Force, Heathrow Airport and BA bosses sweating on repercussions.
One source told The Sun last night: “The man could have been carrying anything on him. It beggars belief this could have happened in an age of high-tech, anti-terror led airport surveillance.”
The Sun understands that jobless Craig Sturt, 46, turned up at the UK’s biggest airport on December 23 last year and avoided check-in, heading straight to the boarding pass security gates at Terminal 5.
Incredibly, despite the building heaving with cops and airport agents, he walked through the automatic gates behind another passenger in front of him.
He then was ushered through a series of security checkpoints, and passport control, without showing any paperwork.
Each time he simply ‘tailgated’ the passenger ahead of him.
Mr Sturt was then able to board a bus at a BA departure gate alongside hundreds of other passengers flying to the US for Christmas.
He was welcomed onto the British Airways jumbo despite having no boarding pass, and helped himself to free food and drinks throughout the long-haul flight.
The plane was fully booked, but various passengers had missed their connection at Heathrow, meaning there were empty seats.
Around nine hours later, following touchdown at JFK airport in the Big Apple, Mr Sturt was finally accosted by baffled US officials when he could not show any identification.
Gun-toting US officers arrested him on Christmas Eve and escorted him back to the UK to be dealt with by authorities here.
He was nicked at 8pm on Christmas Day, suspected of breaching a series of aviation offences, after landing back at Heathrow on a flight from New York.
But last night it emerged that in a further humiliation for UK police, Mr Sturt was then the subject of an ‘urgent missing person appeal’.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on January 22.
Thames Valley Police were forced to issue an alert on January 30, with a photo of the runaway.
It stated: “Urgent missing person appeal. Please can you help us find Craig? The 46-year-old is 6ft, slim, with short dark brown hair.
“When he was last seen, he was wearing a grey jacket, a top, black jogging bottoms and white trainers.
“Craig was last seen in Reading, but is from Slough and also has links to Heathrow and the Tottenham Court Road in London. If you see Craig, please do not approach him, instead call 999.”
Mr Sturt has been charged with Obtaining Services by Deception; Being Unlawfully Airside; Boarding an Aircraft without permission, and remanded to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.
But last night he was still on the run.
The suspect’s brother and next of kin, Lee Smith, 52, told The Sun on Sunday his family was devastated by the ordeal.
The father of three said: “I don’t know how Craig has managed to dodge security at the UK’s biggest airport and fly to America without a passport and ticket.
‘Heads will roll’
“It’s ridiculous this could happen. If Craig, with a troubled past, could dodge security then presumably anyone else with sinister motives could do the same. Heads should roll. How has this been allowed to happen?”
Decorator Mr Smith, of Langley near Slough, Berks, told of his shock at discovering his brother’s illegal long-haul flight.
He said: “The police called and said ‘Your brother has been apprehended – by New York Police’. As the cops called I had MTV on and Sting’s ‘Englishman In New York’ was playing. It was surreal.
“I thought that can’t be right. He doesn’t even have a passport.
“They said ‘Well he’s just been caught walking down the runway at JFK Airport in New York.”
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I have no idea how he managed to pull it off. I know it’s a serious issue.”
Mr Sturt was flown back to London on a charter flight and into the hands of Met cops.
It is understood he was sectioned and taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berks.
Since fleeing a nationwide search has been launched to find him.
He was pictured on CCTV withdrawing £200 in cash on Tottenham Court Road in London.
Breaching security sensitive areas at Heathrow without a passport or flight ticket is “unheard of” in today’s era of high-tech, anti-terrorism surveillance.
The Sun understands James Cleverly is insisting on getting to the bottom of the “humiliating fiasco”.
A source said: “Heads will roll. It’s staggering this could happen. It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have happened if a terrorist had successfully boarded a flight undetected.
“This is a major embarrassment for Heathrow and Border Force, happening at our flagship airport. It’s not a great look for BA either – staff have simply been negligent and not done their jobs.
“Officials in the US are furious and demanding to know how this could have happened. It wasn’t an audacious plot to dodge the elaborate security system, but he simply ‘tail-gated’ the passenger in front of him in the queue at each checkpoint.”
Tragically there have been instances of desperate stowaways breaching airport security to hide in the wheel arches of planes – only to fall to their death on final approach to land in the UK.
This is a major embarrassment for Heathrow and Border Force
Often the bogus passengers will have frozen to death during the flight before falling to the ground.
A stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways plane’s landing gear as it approached Heathrow in 2019 and was found dead in a garden after landing “one metre” from a sunbather.
The man’s body was found in Clapham, south London.
The body was “so intact” because it was “an ice block”.
Last night a Heathrow spokesperson said: “All people who go airside are subject to security screening, including the individual involved in this case. We are supporting the authorities with their ongoing investigation.”
A spokesperson for New Scotland Yard – also now in charge of the hunt for Mr Sturt – told The Sun: “On 24 December 2023 police were made aware of an alleged breach of security at Heathrow airport and a male was subsequently arrested and later charged with Fraud and Aviation Security Act offences.
“We continue to work with all our partners to review and enhance the already robust security measures in place which are kept under constant review by the wider security partnership.”
British Airways said: “We are assisting the authorities with their investigation.”
The Home Office and Department for Transport was contacted for comment.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
