Heathrow passengers were left vomiting blood and struggling to breathe when tear gas gang attacked, court hears

Dozens of Heathrow passengers were left vomiting blood and struggling to breathe when a gang of men attacked them with tear gas, a court has heard. The airport's Terminal 3 was closed for hours after the incident near a Caffè Nero on December 7 last year which also saw CS gas sprayed in the face of a woman who had her suitcase taken.Tyrone Richards, 31, Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25, Omoneke Whyte, 31, and Denzel Eduardo, 29, pleaded guilty to affray at Isleworth Crown Court in June.A sentencing hearing at the same court on Friday heard that three of the defendants, wearing face coverings and dark clothing, sprayed a substance 'believed to be CS spray' into a lift at an airport car park at 8am on December 7.The lift contained two women who had arrived on a flight from Johannesburg in South Africa that morning and two men who had met the women at the airport.The court heard that the defendants were prevented from entering the lift by the group as 'innocent parties ran away from the lift in some distress'.Gas was emitted once the lift arrived at the ground floor, causing 'difficulties for people, particularly at a Caffè Nero nearby' with some people being taken to hospital, the court heard.A barista at Caffè Nero, who started to cough and vomit blood, told the court she was 'scared' as she 'felt fine one minute and then almost instantly unwell'. Armed police rushed to Heathrow Airport when the tear gas attack took place on December 7 last year. Pictured: A man being arrested Traffic was brought to a halt at the busy London airport after a major incident was declared Armed police at the scene as they checked cars and looked for suspects The women who had arrived from Johannesburg then went to an airport taxi forecourt where the defendants followed them and took their suitcases – which were never recovered.CS gas, which is used by police forces worldwide as tear gas to temporarily incapacitate people, was sprayed in the face of one of the women at close range at 8.03am 'causing her to start coughing and choking', the court heard.Passengers leaving and travelling to the airport faced disruption, including delays to shuttle buses and trains, after Terminal 3 was locked down following the incident.A customer service agent at Terminal 3 said the incident was 'terrifying', adding she 'felt dizzy and like I was going to pass out' and that a woman in a wheelchair she was assisting 'was struggling to breathe and using an inhaler'.A mother who arrived from a flight from South Africa with her 14-month-old son said her child started to cough, telling the court: 'I was immediately afraid for my baby's safety and my own safety'.A man who was ordering a taxi from the airport's car park said '20 to 30 people were all coughing' after the incident and he was 'struggling to breathe'.Prosecutor Gary Rutter said he 'could not say exactly what led to this incident' but that 'one may suspect what was going on'.He added that the incident left 'members of the public coughing, vomiting, and some vomited blood'. Footage showed armed police at Heathrow following reports of people being attacked with pepper spray A man is arrested at Heathrow Airport following an incident involving tear gas Fire engines arrive at the airport surrounded by traffic chaos caused by the incidentRichards was arrested while still at the airport and the other three defendants were later identified and arrested separately.Genevieve Moss, representing Eduardo, said the CS gas 'was discharged by the rival group', adding that he has asthma and this would have had a 'dangerous impact on him'.The lawyer said Eduardo, who has 12 previous convictions for 18 offences, would have 'not agreed to take part in any activity involving such a substance' and expressed 'deep remorse'.Rushnay Sikander, representing Whyte, said he was 'very remorseful', adding he had a 'traumatic childhood' including his father being murdered when he was five years old and that he had been the victim of three separate stabbings.Shanda McAteer, representing Clarke-Butcher, who has 14 convictions for 31 offences, said he denied releasing the gas and 'genuinely expresses remorse'.Patrick Harte, representing Richards, who has three previous convictions, said he was 'not present when the first spray was released' and was 'sorry to innocent bystanders suffering anguish'.It was previously reported that a man was arrested at Heathrow Airport on December 7 after a number of people were assaulted with 'pepper spray' by a group of men.An argument is believed to have escalated, resulting in a number of people being injured, he added. Police, ambulance and fire engines responded to an incident just after 8am at the multi-storey car park in Terminal 3, where 21 patients were treated and five taken to hospital. However their injuries were not reported to be life-changing or life-threatening. The incident sparked major chaos within and surrounding the London airport, with LUL and Elizabeth Lines suspended.Bus drivers were trapped inside the station, having been advised not to leave their vehicles under any circumstances.The short stay car park entrance was blocked, causing a major backlog of vehicles unable to leave the vicinity.The London Ambulance Service said 21 patients were cared for at the scene, before five were transported to hospital. Heathrow staff started handing out bottled water to passengers waiting for buses from Terminal 3.One family said they had been waiting at the bus stop for three hours for a shuttle to the long-stay car park after their flight.Tense footage posted on social media showed armed police searching the airport car park, while drivers were stuck in their cars. The sentencing hearing continues.