Coronavirus Isle of Man: Dog walker fined £1,000 for picking up his girlfriend
A man who picked his girlfriend up from her home so they could take his dog for a walk together has been fined £1,000 for breaking Manx coronavirus laws.
Sam Culshaw pleaded guilty at Douglas Courthouse to being in a car with someone not from his own household. The 21-year-old taxi base operator was arrested at a petrol station forecourt in Douglas on 25 April. Culshaw, of Queen's Drive, Ramsey had previously been warned by police for having friends in his car. The court heard he had driven from his home to pick up his girlfriend in Ballasalla and that they had planned to take his dog for a walk at the Clypse reservoir in Onchan. Culshaw claimed he had "misunderstood" the relaxation of the island's lockdown measures, which lifted some travel restrictions and limits on the amount of time you can exercise. Under the emergency laws gathering with people from different households is still an offence. In handing down a fine rather than a custodial sentence, High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said she had given Culshaw "the benefit of the doubt" since previous warnings had been issued before the laws were eased on Friday. Mrs Hughes warned him that, should he be convicted of breaching the emergency laws again, a similar outcome was "unlikely". He was also ordered to pay costs of £125. Related Internet Links Isle of Man Courts of Justice Isle of Man Government - Coronavirus (COVID-19)