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A man has been jailed on the Isle of Man for four weeks for violating COVID-19 regulations, after traveling on a jet ski to the island from Scotland.
Under the coronavirus regulations on the island, non-residents must obtain special permission from the government in order to enter the Isle of Man.
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McLaughlan went out in Douglas the night after arriving
Dale McLaughlan, 28, took the four-and-a-half-hour jet ski ride from Whithorn, on the west coast of Scotland, to Ramsey, on the east coast of the Isle of Man, on Friday to visit his partner who lives there. .
He had previously been given a special waiver to work on the island as a roofer in September, and he met his partner there on a night out after a two-week period of isolation.
Douglas Courthouse heard that McLaughlan had twice applied for another permit to visit the island, but was turned down both times.
According to the Isle of Man examiner, he started his journey at 8am on Friday morning, expecting the journey to last 40 minutes, but was thwarted by the rough sea and arrived around 1pm.
Then he walked from Ramsey to his partner’s house in Douglas. His girlfriend, apparently unaware of his plans, went out with McLaughlan in Douglas the following night for a night out, where they were confronted by police.
McLaughlan was later arrested at his partner’s home.
Appearing in court via video link, he said he took a COVID-19 test four days before his trip, which came back negative. Another test conducted while on the island also came back negative.
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He pleaded guilty to illegally entering the island.
Local police said in a statement: “The circumstances have been investigated and Public Health is satisfied that there is no greater risk to the public.”
The island’s deputy sheriff said: “The events are very unusual.
“This is not a case of arriving by boat or plane. He put himself in very real danger.”
“He had no experience operating a jet ski. He deliberately tried to avoid detection and circumvent current entry regulations to protect the Isle of Man.”
