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Drunk 'captain Jack Sparrow' who once stole 50ft ferry

Home> Community

Published 14:23 14 Jan 2023 GMT

Drunk 'captain Jack Sparrow' who once stole 50ft ferry

The 'captain' claimed she was a 21st century pirate as she tried to escape on the ferry

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, or 51-year-old intoxicated woman who just stole a ferry? Well, according to the latter, it's both.

Magistrates learned that Alison Whelan had been drinking for two days when she boarded the 50-foot ferry, the Dart Princess, and declared herself captain to police officers who were stood on the shore.

It wasn't just alcohol she'd been consuming, as a court also heard that she'd been eating the hallucinogenic nightshade, which is poisonous, before she went on her joyride.

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Whelan likened herself to Jack Sparrow.
Walt Disney Pictures

The bizarre scene unfolded on the ferry located on the River Dart in Devon, where Whelan and a companion had sought shelter on the night of 10 September, 2011.

While on the boat, Whelan called an ambulance with fears she was experiencing a seizure.

Police arrived at the scene at 3:50am, but the 51-year-old then cast off in the stolen ferry and told police she was a 21st century pirate, making reference to Johnny Depp's beloved Disney franchise as she shouted "I'm Jack Sparrow."

Authorities were forced to try and catch the vessel in a chase which lasted more than an hour, with 30 people, including police, ambulance, lifeboat and coastguards staff, all trying to stop the antics of the drunken 'pirate'.

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As the ferry drifted on the river, it struck a catamaran called Force Majeure and another moored vessel called the Tomcat, causing damage to both.

Whelan's trip also ended up causing up to £1,500 worth of damage to the ferry.

Whelan had been drinking for two days when the incident unfolded.
BBC

The Dart Princess was eventually secured and taken back to shore by Torbay's lifeboat, though Paignton Pleasure Cruises stressed that it 'could have been serious' if the boat had floated out to sea with Whelan and the companion on board.

Whelan was arrested, and at the time claimed she'd untied some ropes on the ferry because she kept tripping over them. Had they not been caught, Whelan claimed she and her crew would have ended up in St. Tropez.

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Ashely Lane, Paignton Pleasure Cruises' operations manager, said it was a 'shock to the system' to receive the call about the stolen ferry at 3am.

He described the case as a 'total one-off bizarre incident which we have never experienced before', adding: "The fact is that, had circumstances been different tide-wise, it could have been serious. She could have seriously been injured had it gone out of the river."

Following her arrest, Whelan was found guilty of aggravated vehicle taking and sentenced to 112 days behind bars.

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: Food And Drink, Crime

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.

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