Coronavirus: Man who socialised with friends at football club jailed

Toby Wood returned to the Isle of Man by ferry on 14 October

A man who socialised with a group of people at a football club and went for a late night walk with a friend has been jailed for breaking the Isle of Man's coronavirus laws.

Toby Wood, 22, admitted failing to self-isolate between 22 and 24 October.

Under Manx Covid-19 regulations, returning residents must isolate for 14 days.

Magistrates jailed Wood, and of Edremony Estate in Port Erin, for four weeks at Douglas Courthouse.

He was also ordered to pay £125 in costs.

He had originally denied the charge at a hearing on Monday, but changed his plea when he appeared before the court the following day.

The court was told Wood had returned to the island by ferry from Heysham on 14 October, and ordered to isolate until 28 October.

'Put others at risk'

But at about 22:30 BST on Thursday he and a friend went to Rushen Football Club where they socialised with a group of people.

At about 03:00 the following day he met up with one of the group again and they went for a walk around Port Erin.

He was arrested for other matters in a lane outside his home at about 08:30 on Saturday, the court heard.

He then admitted he had travelled back to the island less than 14 days before, and he was arrested for breaking Covid-19 rules.

Wood told police he had been self-isolating since his return and had only left his home because he knew officers were coming to arrest him, so was waiting outside because he did not want them to disturb his mother.

Witnesses confirmed he had been socialising with other people over the previous days.

Sentencing him, magistrates chairman Ken Faragher said the island was in a "very privileged position" in relation to coronavirus and his actions had "put everybody at risk".