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A lovesick Scottish man who bought a jet-ski so he could evade lockdown measures to visit his girlfriend in the Isle of Man has been jailed for breaching coronavirus restrictions, reports said.
Dale McLaughlan from Ayrshire in southern Scotland met his girlfriend while working as a roofer on the island in the Irish Sea in September, the BBC reported Tuesday.
Coronavirus restrictions on the tax haven 鈥� famous for the annual Tourist Trophy motorcycle race 鈥� mean non-residents currently require special permission to land on the island.
But after returning to Scotland when his contract ended, McLaughlan聽was denied permission to re-enter the island, the BBC said.
Undeterred, the 28-year-old bought a jet-ski and set off last Friday to make the 40-kilometer sea-crossing by stealth.
He had never ridden a jet-ski before and expected the journey to take around 40 minutes, prosecutors told a court in Douglas, the island鈥檚 main town, according to the BBC.
But the journey across the choppy waters 鈥� which have an average December temperature of around eight degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) according to Ireland鈥檚 meteorological service 鈥� took over four hours.
He then had to walk 24 kilometers to his girlfriend鈥檚 home.
On Sunday he was arrested by police after they found out he had arrived illegally and visited nightclubs with his girlfriend.
Deputy High Bailiff Christopher Arrowsmith said McLaughlan had made a 鈥渄eliberate and intentional attempt to circumnavigate鈥� the border restrictions, and jailed him for four weeks, the BBC said.
McLaughlan鈥檚 defense lawyer said he had suffered from depression at not being able to see his partner.聽RGA
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