British policeman wins UFO investigation award

A British policeman has won an international award for his database of UFO sightings by UK police officers. Gary Heseltine's fascination with the unexplained in British skies began at the age of 15, when he spotted a mysterious bright light while walking his first girlfriend home.

The 49-year-old father-of-two picked up the 2010 Disclosures Award in Washington for his website, prufospolicedatabase.co.uk, which he launched in 2002. He said: "Winning the award was a total surprise, I didn't know I was going to win until my name was read out. It's also a terrific boost for my database as it puts me on an international platform and I have already been offered chances to give lectures in Brazil and Denmark."



Mr Heseltine, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, has amassed a database including 330 cases and the witness statements of more than 750 police officers. Despite investigating thousands of reports, He said he will always remember his first sighting over the skies of Scunthorpe in 1975.

He said: "I was with my first girlfriend heading towards the comprehensive school and suddenly became aware of a large bright light. Suddenly all the electricity on the housing estate we could see ahead cut out. We were terrified at the time but afterwards I decided to investigate and discovered that power cuts are extremely common during UFO sightings."