Man Jailed For Breaching COVID Protocols & Crossing The Sea On A Jet Ski, To Visit Girlfriend indiatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Isle of Man (credit Jonathan Lee). Inset credit Barry Camera Club. A North Ayrshire man has been jailed for his desperate attempt to see his girlfriend by jet skiing across the Irish Sea. Dale McLaughlan, of Irvine, was arrested on Sunday after he landed on the Isle of Man violating the island s COVID-19 laws. McLaughlan s daring attempt was made in spite of him having never driven a water scooter before - which he had bought specifically for the trip, BBC News reported. The 28-year-old entered the isle from the Isle of Whithorn, Dumfriesshire, through the sea route without taking proper permission.
Lockdown-breaking dad travels 25 miles on jet ski across Irish Sea to visit girlfriend
Dale McLaughlan, 28, thought the journey from Whithorn, Dumfriesshire to Ramsey harbour in the Isle of Ma would take 40 minutes but it took him four-and-a-half-hours
The dad was jailed for four weeks (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
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Man jailed after crossing Irish Sea on jet ski in extraordinary bid to visit girlfriend on Isle of Man
Incredibly, after spending four and a half hours in transit, McLaughlan then visited two busy nightclubs on the island with his girlfriend
Updated
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His defence lawyer said in court that McLaughlan suffered from depression and was struggling to cope without his girlfriend. He admitted arriving unlawfully on the island and was sentenced to four weeks in jail.
Deputy high bailiff Christopher Arrowsmith said McLaughlan’s “deliberate and intentional attempt to circumnavigate” the restrictions had posed a risk to himself and the island’s residents.
After departing the Isle of Whithorn in the morning and arriving in the northern town of Ramsey at 1pm, McLaughlan walked 15 miles (25km) to its capital, Douglas.
He gave a policeman his girlfriend’s address as his own. The couple attended two busy nightclubs before he was caught on Sunday following identification checks.