COVID-19: Man jailed after riding jet ski from Scotland to Isle of Man to visit partner

A man has been jailed on the Isle of Man for four weeks for breaching COVID-19 regulations - after riding a jet ski to the island from Scotland.

Under coronavirus regulations on the island, non-residents must obtain special permission from the government to be able to enter the Isle of Man.

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Dale McLaughlan, 28, reportedly took the four-and-a-half hour jet ski journey on Friday from Whithorn, on the west coast of Scotland, to Ramsey, on the east coast of the Isle of Man to visit his partner who lives there.

He had previously been given special dispensation to work on the island as a roofer in September, and met his partner there on a night out after a two-week isolation period.

Douglas Courthouse heard that McLaughlan had applied twice for another permit so he could visit the island, but was turned down on both occasions.

According to the Isle of Man Examiner, he began his journey at 8am on Friday morning, expecting the journey to take 40 minutes - but he was thwarted by rough seas and he arrived at around 1pm.

He then walked from Ramsey to his partner's home in Douglas. His girlfriend, who was apparently unaware of his plans, went out with McLaughlan in Douglas the following evening for a night out, where police confronted them.

McLaughlan was later arrested at his partner's home.

Appearing in court via a videolink, he said he took a COVID-19 test four days before his trip, which came back negative. Another test conducted while he was on the island also came back negative.

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He pleaded guilty to entering the island illegally.

Local police said in a statement: "The circumstances have been investigated and Public Health are satisfied there is no wider risk to the public."

The island's deputy high bailiff said: "The facts are highly unusual.

"This is not a case of arriving by boat or plane. He put himself at very real risk.

"He was wholly inexperienced in operating a jet ski. He deliberately attempted to avoid detection and circumvent the entry regulations in place to protect the Isle of Man."