A PILOT who was branded "a very real danger in the skies" has had his nine-month jail sentence reduced.

Judge Simon Pratt has instead given 66-year-old Peter Fox an eight-month sentence suspended for two years for flying in contravention of an order from air traffic control at Biggin Hill International Airport and flying without a valid licence.

Judge Pratt reduced the severity of the sentence at Croydon Crown Court on July 25 because of Fox's age.

He said: "I don't feel the sentence was wrong in principle or excessive, but on reflection it may be the last two weeks have brought home to you that you must not try to fly any airplane."

Fox, from Sevenoaks, had tried to take off from Biggin Hill in October last year and March but was ordered not to.

He had wanted to fly to meet a prospective buyer of his plane.

Although he never took off, turning the aircraft engine on is classed as flying.

Fox was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £2,000 costs.

On July 10 Judge Pratt said: "You present a very real danger in the skies."