Dozens of passengers at Heathrow Airport were left coughing and some even vomited blood after tear gas was sprayed near a Caffè Nero, according to a court hearing. The incident took place on December 7 last year and led to the temporary closure of Terminal 3 for several hours. A woman whose suitcase was taken was sprayed in the face with tear gas, according to testimony given in court. Four men—Tyrone Richards, 31; Anton Clarke-Butcher, 25; Omoneke Whyte, 31; and Denzel Eduardo, 29—pleaded guilty to affray at Isleworth Crown Court in June. The court heard that three of the defendants, wearing face coverings and dark clothing, sprayed a substance into a lift at an airport car park at 8am on December 7. Inside the lift were two women who had just arrived on a flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, and two men who had met them at the airport. The group was prevented from entering the lift by the others, who ran away in distress. Once the lift reached the ground floor, gas was released, causing discomfort and health issues for people nearby, particularly at the Caffè Nero. A barista there described how she began coughing and vomiting blood, saying she was "scared" as she "felt fine one minute and then almost instantly unwell." The women from Johannesburg were followed and had their suitcases stolen. One of them was sprayed directly in the face with CS gas—commonly known as tear gas and used by police to temporarily incapacitate people—at 8:03am, causing her to cough and choke. The incident led to significant disruption, with delays to shuttle buses and trains after Terminal 3 was locked down. A customer service agent described the event as "terrifying," saying she felt dizzy and nearly passed out, while assisting a woman in a wheelchair who was struggling to breathe. A mother traveling with her 14-month-old son said her child began coughing, and she immediately feared for her baby’s safety. Another man at the airport’s car park said 20 to 30 people were coughing after the incident, and he found it difficult to breathe. Prosecutor Gary Rutter said he could not determine the exact cause of the incident but suggested the defendants were likely involved in some form of conflict. Richards was arrested at the airport, while the others were identified and arrested separately. Defendants’ lawyers expressed remorse and provided personal context. Genevieve Moss, representing Eduardo, noted that he has asthma, which could have made the exposure to CS gas particularly dangerous. She also said Eduardo, who has 12 previous convictions, would not have agreed to participate in such an activity. Rushnay Sikander, representing Whyte, said he was "very remorseful" and described a traumatic childhood, including the murder of his father when he was five and being stabbed three times. Shanda McAteer, representing Clarke-Butcher—who has 14 convictions for 31 offences—said he denied releasing the gas and expressed genuine remorse. Patrick Harte, representing Richards, stated that Richards was not present when the gas was first released and expressed regret for the suffering of innocent bystanders. The sentencing hearing continues.