Girlfriend of jet ski romeo is jailed

The girlfriend of a lovesick Romeo who was jailed for breaching Covid restrictions when he crossed the Irish Sea on a jet ski to see her has been jailed for eight months for attacking a woman. 

Jessica Radcliffe, 31, was jailed after she and her friend Leanna Louise Bradley, 33, forced their way into the woman’s home and punched and kicked her while her children were upstairs at around 9.45am on March 31.

Radcliffe, from Anagh Coar, the Isle of Man, then grabbed and hit a police officer while the pair were being arrested at the scene.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to eight months after admitting offences of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), assaulting a police officer and property damage. 

Jessica Radcliffe, 31, from Anagh Coar, the Isle of Man, was sentenced to eight months after admitting offences of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), assaulting a police officer and property damage

It comes after Radcliffe’s boyfriend Dale McLaughlan, 28, made the 25-mile journey from Scotland to the Isle of Man to visit his girlfriend in December last year

Bradley, from Braddan, Isle of Man, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), resisting arrest, and two counts of property damage and was also sentenced to eight months. 

Magistrates chair Michael Murley told Radcliffe and Bradley: ‘This was premeditated. The sole purpose of your journey was to carry out the attack. You forcibly entered a house where children were present.

‘The injuries caused were serious but it is fortunate they were not more serious.’ 

Jessica Radcliffe (pictured) hit a police officer while the pair were being arrested

Earlier this year, prosecutor Chrissie Hunt told the court the pair kicked and punched the woman as she screamed to her housemate to protect her children who were upstairs in their bedroom. 

The woman, who said she did not know Bradley but had previously had a dispute with Radcliffe, was then dragged up the stairs by the pair, which left her with burns on her forehead, the court heard.

She was also allegedly left with bruising and injuries to her head, arms and back.

During the attack, Bradley also damaged the victim’s phone – which was said to amount to £350. 

Radcliffe and Bradley were bailed for £500 before they entered their pleas this year. 

When questioned by police, Radcliffe answered ‘no comment’ while Bradley told officers she had taken cocaine and been drinking.

Bradley denied assault but admitted damaging the victim’s phone and said Radcliffe had kicked the door to the property and punched the woman twice in the face.  

The attack comes after Radcliffe’s boyfriend Dale McLaughlan, 28, made the 25-mile journey from Scotland to the Isle of Man to visit his girlfriend in December last year – spending four and a half hours at sea.

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 when he was turned down on both occasions, he took matters into his own hands.

McLaughlan (left) was jailed for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules to see Jessica Radcliffe (right), but was freed three days before Christmas after serving 10 days of his sentence 

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 then embarked on a treacherous 25-mile jet ski journey across the Irish Sea on December 11 to see his girlfriend. 

He had expected the 25-mile trip to take 40 minutes but due to bad weather it took him four-and-a-half-hours.

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.

However the authorities caught up with him two days later when he was arrested at his partner’s home and he was jailed the next day on December 13 for breaking local coronavirus rules.

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

When he was arrested McLaughlan told police that he had taken a Covid test four days before he had travelled and it had come back negative.

He also said he was prepared to take a second test.

It is understood that the tests came back negative.

Last December McLaughlan 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.