A pensioner has been locked up and whacked with a £5,000 ($6,400) fine after he went out for a pint while he should have been self-isolating.
Henry McCarthy, 79, was told to isolate for 14 days after he returned to Guernsey from the UK mainland, but when police came around to check he was following the rules, they found his car had gone, the Guernsey Press reports.
The car was spotted at the car park of a pub called Crabby Jack's later that day and inside McCarthy was found sat at a table with a partially drank pint. He told the cops he'd been there for around an hour and that he believed he was isolating because he was by himself.
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In court he admitted the breach and was fined £5,000 - he was told he must stay in custody until at least £1,500 of the fine is paid with the rest due by the end of next month.
Prosecuting Crown advocate Chris Dunford said that McCarthy had arrived in Guernsey from Poole on 11 September and was offered the option of isolating for 14 days or for seven days and then taking a test. He chose to isolate for two weeks, but then committed the breach the following day.
Advocate Phoebe Cobb, speaking in McCarthy's defence, said he had erroneously thought he was not putting others at risk by going the boozer because he was on his own.
Judge Graeme McKerrell said: "To think that you could isolate in Crabby Jack's is both fanciful and, quite frankly, pathetic.
"This was both blatant and belligerent, in the sense that you did what you wanted to do and not what you were told to do."
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Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that anyone found breaching self-isolation rules in the UK could be hit with a fine of up to £10,000.
Announcing the new measures, Johnson said: "The best way we can fight this virus is by everyone following the rules and self-isolating if they are at risk of passing on the virus.
"People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines."
Featured Image Credit: PA