Updated Dec 16, 2020 | 13:46 IST
The defence lawyer said that McLaughlan suffered from depression and was not coping with being unable to see his partner. Man jet skis from Scotland to Isle of Man | Photo Credit: iStock Images
A man who crossed the Irish Sea on a jet ski to meet his girlfriend has been jailed for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. Dale McLaughlan, 28, on Friday took four-and-a-half hours to travel from Scotland to the Isle of Man to meet his girlfriend. Mclaughlan jet-skied despite never having driven a water scooter before.
Under the Isle of Man s current laws, the only non-residents allowed to enter the island are those who have been given special permission. McLaughlan was given permission in September to work as a roofer on the island for four weeks. After isolating for 14 days, he was able to meet his girlfriend for a night out. However, his subsequent applications to be on the island were rejected, the court heard.
Justin Heap/Unsplash
A lovesick Scotsman has been jailed for a month for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules after a four-hour jet ski trip to reunite with his girlfriend. (File photo).
A lovesick roofer has been jailed for breaking coronavirus rules after he used a jet ski to travel from Scotland to the Isle of Man to see his girlfriend. Dale McLaughlan, 28, who had never used a jet ski, took four hours to cross 40 kilometres from Scotland s Isle of Whithorn to Ramsey on the Isle of Man last week. After reaching land, McLaughlan trekked another 24km to his girlfriend s home in the capital, Douglas.
A lovesick roofer has been jailed for breaking coronavirus rules after he used a jet ski to travel from Scotland to the Isle of Man to see his girlfriend.
Dale McLaughlan, 28, who had never used a jet ski, took four hours to cross 25 miles (40km) from Scotland s Isle of Whithorn to Ramsey on the Isle of Man last Friday.
After reaching land, Mr McLaughlan trekked another 15 miles to his girlfriend s home in the capital, Douglas.
But his romantic gesture landed him in hot water when he was arrested and charged with illegally entering the isle.
Mr McLaughlan from Irvine, North Ayrshire, first met his girlfriend, Jessica Radcliffe, 25, in September while working in Douglas. After returning to Scotland, he applied for permission to visit the Isle of Man but was refused.
Detienen a un joven por cruzar el mar entre Irlanda y Escocia en una moto de agua para ver a su novia antena3.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from antena3.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Twitter users have rallied behind a Romeo roofer who was jailed for breaking coronavirus restrictions after spending four and a half hours on a jet ski crossing the Irish Sea to visit his girlfriend.
New photographs have captured the moment Dale McLaughlan, 28, arrived on the Isle of Man after a 25-mile journey to visit his partner Jessica Radcliffe on Friday.
He had towed the jet ski 70 miles from his home in Irvine, Scotland, to the beach on the Isle of Whithorn, where he made the daring crossing despite having never driven one before.
McLaughlan thought the journey would take 40 minutes but in fact it took him almost five hours due to bad weather.