Former soldier Paul Gait, 47, and his wife Elaine Kirk-Gait, 54, are being questioned after 1,000 flights were deliberately disrupted leaving 200,000 passengers in Christmas travel hell.
Gemma Allard, 40, and her dad run Allard Double Glazing in Crowborough, where Paul works. She said: “He was with me at work the whole time the drones were up. Paul comes to my house every morning - I’ve got a child with him. The morning of this going on, he was sitting in my front room having a cup of tea with me – and the rest of the day he was working. They need to let him out and catch the right people. Paul wouldn’t do this, no chance.”
And Gemma’s dad John said: “Paul comes in around 7.45am and I remember those days he worked late. I don’t think it can be him.” Mr Allard also told The Sun: "I really do think this is a load of b******s. I can account for Paul's movements every day this week. When we watched it on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning, Paul was saying how stupid he thought flying a drone over Gatwick was."
Elaine’s ex-husband Ian Kirk, 50, turned up at her house yesterday to collect her dogs, a Jack Russell and a pug named Sid and Maddie.
Dad Francis, 72, told the Mirror: “He’s had some cracking helicopters and enjoyed flying them, but I think he ended up selling them. "He had them ages ago. It’ll be a year or two. I can’t believe Paul’s involved in this, I just can’t. The times this thing was flying in the daylight – when Paul was at work. I think they’re just dying to pin it on somebody. I can’t believe for one minute it’s true. It’s just mad.”
And Paul’s mum Margaret, 70, told the Sunday Mirror: “We’re just so shocked. It’s not the sort of thing Paul would do. He’s a nice person.”