One of this week’s viral stories is about a modern-day Romeo, a Scottish roofer who braved bad weather at sea, crossing the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man, so that he could spend a weekend with his girlfriend.
This Romeo will be spending Christmas behind bars for his romantic gesture.
The story broke earlier this week: Dale McLaughlan was sentenced to 4 weeks in jail for taking a jet ski from Scotland to the Isle of Man, breaching the island’s strict lockdown regulations. As news of his imprisonment made the rounds online, not few were those who hailed him a hero, the “get you a man who does this”-type of dude every woman should dream of encountering at some point. But maybe hold off the praise forRomeo Dale.
His breach of safety rules is only the proverbial cherry on top, the Isle of Man Courier reports. As it turns out, Dale had no experience with riding a jet ski, let alone in bad weather, having just bought it the day before for £5,000 ($6,800) - because love does cost a thing, apparently. This was his maiden journey, which explains why the 40-minute water cross took him almost five hours to complete.
Just as bad is the fact that the man can’t swim, which some would regard as essential when heading out on troubled waters. But love is blind. Authorities also tell the media that he had less than 10 minutes’ worth of fuel in the tank when he arrived at his destination.
In short, this was a recipe for disaster, had all these factors combined: his inexperience, the rough weather, his not knowing how to swim, and especially his decision to illegally enter a lockdown area. Only luck made it so that he reached his destination alive and in one piece, and didn’t infect others – though not because he knew for a fact he was negative.
“This individual was aware of the law and showed a flagrant disregard when they chose to break it, mixing in the community and potentially putting lives at risk,” Howard Quayle, the chief minister of the Isle of Man, says in a statement on Tuesday.
This Romeo will be spending Christmas behind bars for his romantic gesture.
The story broke earlier this week: Dale McLaughlan was sentenced to 4 weeks in jail for taking a jet ski from Scotland to the Isle of Man, breaching the island’s strict lockdown regulations. As news of his imprisonment made the rounds online, not few were those who hailed him a hero, the “get you a man who does this”-type of dude every woman should dream of encountering at some point. But maybe hold off the praise for
His breach of safety rules is only the proverbial cherry on top, the Isle of Man Courier reports. As it turns out, Dale had no experience with riding a jet ski, let alone in bad weather, having just bought it the day before for £5,000 ($6,800) - because love does cost a thing, apparently. This was his maiden journey, which explains why the 40-minute water cross took him almost five hours to complete.
Just as bad is the fact that the man can’t swim, which some would regard as essential when heading out on troubled waters. But love is blind. Authorities also tell the media that he had less than 10 minutes’ worth of fuel in the tank when he arrived at his destination.
In short, this was a recipe for disaster, had all these factors combined: his inexperience, the rough weather, his not knowing how to swim, and especially his decision to illegally enter a lockdown area. Only luck made it so that he reached his destination alive and in one piece, and didn’t infect others – though not because he knew for a fact he was negative.
“This individual was aware of the law and showed a flagrant disregard when they chose to break it, mixing in the community and potentially putting lives at risk,” Howard Quayle, the chief minister of the Isle of Man, says in a statement on Tuesday.