Somewhat exhausted I reached London Heathrow to book in early so I can repack camera manuals etc to hand luggage for reading on the aircraft. I declared as usual that the black case had a life raft and a CO2 cylinder. After kept waiting I am ordered to drag the offending luggage up to the other end of this concourse but no one was going to help, they knowing full well the case would have to be retrieved from halfway down the luggage chute.
There I was coming out of the hole, under the counter on all fours backwards having to pull the bag up and over the ones loaded since mine. There was much laughter on my account.
An officious character or Mr Jobsworth demanded to see the cylinder and failed to realise that all it took to empty it was a twist with a spanner or the pull of a cord. I took the unpacked dinghy to a safe area to inflate or spanner the release valve so it could come with me to Darwin where it could be refilled. What had already been said was that the dinghy was not going on the aircraft, so why was my offer to empty the cylinder not accepted?
I tried to get the captain and crew to confirm that lifejackets and dinghies like mine are regularly admitted, when empty of gas…he was non committal with more important things to address like pre flight preparation.
When I was then told neither dinghy nor myself would travel I took a few photos of the evidence and witnesses and went off to find a policeman.
We arrived back and shortly after his being briefed 6 armed policemen arrived. One, the biggest, grabbed me and after much pushing of me between them, their standard ploy to whip up an assault charge on a police officer, I was then dragged out of sight of the overhead video camera into a dark ally and thrown against a wall. The one had now really lost his temper and assaulted me yet again.. During this fraca the girl with my passport thought it hilarious and said I, “could not have it back if I did not hand over my camera”.. It was wrenched from my hand by 2 bully boys now enjoying it and handed it to British Airways staff to dismantle my camera.
The police then dragged me out into the street and threw my cameras crashing to the concrete. While they waited for the police van one dragged me down an alley and threw me up against a wall again, getting abusive with fowl language. I commented that there was enough on the overhead videos to have him for assault and indicated I needed them as evidence. The police van duly arrived and I was put in the back, my luggage again thrown at the ground. I was left somewhere near Hatton Cross and had to find rope to lash up the case as the dinghy was now unpacked.
Arthritic problems now dominated my thoughts and so found an expensive hot bath and some sleep.