Two Men Fined £9,000 For Going To The Pub During 14-Day Quarantine

Two men from England have been fined a total of £9,000 for heading out to a local boozer during a 14-day quarantine after they moved to Guernsey.

Georgie Phillips, 28 and Mark Paul Dillon, 31, both pleaded guilty at Guernsey's Magistrates Court for failing to isolate for a fortnight.

The pair had been unemployed for a long period of time and made the decision to move to Guernsey on 10 July to work at the Yacht Inn - a seafront hotel.

TripAdvisor

Their job offer came on the condition that they self-isolate for a period of 14 day, but they were both seen in the Harbour Lights pub six days into quarantine.

They have now had their offers withdrawn and on top of that, Phillips has been ordered to pay a £3,000 fine or spend 150 days in prison for one breach, while Dillon faced a £6,000 fine or 300 days in prison for two breaches.

According to the BBC, HM Sheriff confirmed one of the two men is now serving a prison sentence. He will also be released if the fine is paid and it will be reduced depending on his term spent behind bars.

PA

Guernsey currently require that people arriving to the island quarantine for two weeks.

The second time Dillon was spotted breaking the isolation was on the day of his arrival when he went to the shop.

The men were seen on 16 July at the pub and were escorted home by their manager-to-be. Dillon was then seen outside the bar and hiding from her at a bus stop.

According to the BBC, the pair are 'penniless and homeless' but Judge Perry said that breaches must be 'treated the same'.

He added: "The rules are there to save islanders' lives and must not be treated as an inconvenience. We don't need people coming from outside the islands and stopping everyone's hard work."

Representing the two men, lawyer David Thompson asked for an adjustment to their sentences to find work to pay off their fines. Judge Perry rejected the request.

PA

The official statement is: "All persons arriving in the Bailiwick from anywhere in the world to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival. This is a legal requirement, and failure to comply is a criminal offence.

"In your 14 days of mandatory isolation, you must not leave your accommodation and you must not leave the Island."

Topics: News, Coronavirus

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

@RJShepherd94