Roofer, 28, who crossed the Irish Sea on a JET SKI to visit his girlfriend is jailed

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Twitter users have rallied behind a Romeo roofer who was jailed for breaking coronavirus restrictions after spending four and a half hours on a jet ski crossing the Irish Sea to visit his girlfriend.

New photographs have captured the moment Dale McLaughlan, 28, arrived on the Isle of Man after a 25-mile journey to visit his partner Jessica Radcliffe on Friday.

He had towed the jet ski 70 miles from his home in Irvine, Scotland, to the beach on the Isle of Whithorn, where he made the daring crossing despite having never driven one before.  

McLaughlan thought the journey would take 40 minutes but in fact it took him almost five hours due to bad weather.

After eventually making landfall, he then had to trek another 15 miles on foot before finally arriving at his lover’s home in Douglas, the island’s largest town.

Twitter was in awe of the romantic feat, saying he deserved a medal, or even a knighthood for his efforts.

But a resident on the Isle of Man was far from blown away by the romantic gesture, branding him an ‘idiot,’ for trying to make the crossing. 

The roofer had just ten minutes of fuel left in his tank when he arrived to the island, a police source told iomtoday.

McLaughlan first met his partner on a night out in September after he was granted permission to legally spend four weeks working on the island, which has enforced strict border rules during the pandemic. 

After returning to the mainland, McLaughlan tried more than once to go back to the island to see his new girlfriend, but was denied permission by the authorities.

So he bought a jet ski and set off across the Irish Sea, despite the dangers and his lack of experience.

Jailing McLaughlan for four weeks, Deputy High Bailiff Chris Arrowsmith told him: ‘Not only did you place the population of the Isle of Man at risk, but you put yourself at significant risk of harm.’

The court heard that McLaughlan had no experience of operating jet skis and the Deputy High Bailiff pointed out that the emergency services might have been called out to rescue him.

‘This demonstrates the foolishness of his conduct,’ said the Deputy High Bailiff.

The court heard that the self-employed roofer, of Irvine, Scotland, had met his girlfriend in the 1886 bar in Douglas in September when he was in the island, lawfully, for work purposes.

After travelling back to Scotland he had twice applied for an exemption to travel to the island to see her again, but was turned down on both occasions.

He then took matters in to his own hands.

McLaughlan saved up to buy himself a jet ski, which he did so the day before his trip to the Isle of Man, and then towed it 70 miles from his home to a beach in the Isle of Whithorn.

He set off at about 8am last Friday morning expecting the journey to take 40 minutes.

But due to bad weather he didn’t arrive in Ramsey until about 1pm, prosecutor Rebecca Cubbon told the court.

McLaughlan then followed the road signs to walk to his girlfriend’s home in Anagh Coar.

His partner was unaware of what he had done and believed that he was here for work purposes.

The two of them then went out on the Saturday, firstly to the 1886 bar where they stayed until 11pm and then onto Bordellos where the remained until 1.30am on Sunday.

Miss Cubbon said police had ‘interacted’ with the defendant on Regent Street in Douglas on the Saturday when the defendant gave his address as his partner’s.

It was there that police arrested him the following evening.

He told police that he had taken a Covid test four days before he had travelled and it had come back negative.

He said he was prepared to take a second test.

It is understood that, too, has come back negative.

In a statement, the police said: ‘The circumstances have been investigated and Public Health are satisfied there is no wider risk to the public.’

McLaughlan, wearing a face mask, appeared in court by remote video link from the police station.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to comply with the emergency powers regulations by entering the island without an exemption notice or entry permit.

Defence advocate Deborah Myerscough said her client had put himself at risk travelling on a jet ski in the Irish Sea ‘something even in the middle of summer most people would never contemplate’.

She said this indicated his state of mind, adding: ‘Clearly he has some mental health issues.’

The 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 and the people of the Isle of Man.’

He said the defendant had no defined mental health condition other than severe depression resulting from being separated from his girlfriend.  

Speaking at her home in Irvine last night, McLaughlan’s mother Allison told the Daily Record: ‘I didn’t even know about the jet ski. I just don’t know why he did it – he could have killed himself.’

Miss McLaughlan added: ‘He’ll be missing his kids over Christmas.’

The Isle of Man’s current ‘Level 4’ system allows those who live on the island to make non-essential journeys beyond, but must self-isolate for 14 days upon returning.

However, those who don’t live on the island must complete a registration form and be granted an entry certificate to be allowed in. 

There have been just 373 confirmed Covid-19 cases on the Isle of Man since March, with four active cases at the moment and none in hospital.