A 14-year-old boy accused of using a laser pen to recklessly endanger a police helicopter has failed in a High Court bid to stave off prosecution.

The youngster, of Leicester, was arrested in October last year after the helicopter, hovering 4,000 feet over an estate in the city, was struck by a laser beam four times.

On one occasion, it shone through the pilot's window and illuminated the cockpit, the court in London heard.

The pilot spotted a group of youths climbing into a minibus as the source of the beam and the 14-year-old – referred to in court only as J – was later arrested along with a friend.

Yesterday, the boy's barrister, Paul Prior, made a plea for his prosecution on a charge of recklessly endangering an aircraft to be dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

He said it would not be in the public interest for the teenager to be "tarred" with a criminal record for "10 minutes of stupidity".

Mr Prior said he is "from a good family" and has never had any previous involvement with the police.

He said the officer who interviewed J after his arrest had advised that he be given only a caution and the helicopter pilot had said he was willing to talk to him and his friends and explain to them the potentially devastating consequences of what they did.

J, who was on his way to football practice at the time, had never intended to bring the £4.5 million helicopter down and his youth meant he had only limited "appreciation of risk", said Mr Prior.

In his police interview, J agreed he had been "very stupid" and would have been "gutted" had he caused an accident.

However, refusing to intervene in the case, Mr Justice Collins said what J had done "could have had catastrophic consequences" and it was up to the CPS to decide whether to mount a full prosecution.

"It is quite impossible to say it is even arguable that the decision reached by the CPS was wrong in law," he told the court.

He observed that, although J has said he is willing to accept a caution, he has now pleaded not guilty to the reckless endangerment charge before magistrates and is awaiting trial.