Coronavirus: Key workers who bought beer at shop spared jail

Three key workers who broke the Isle of Man's Covid-19 rules by stopping to buy beer after arriving at the island's ferry terminal have been spared jail.

Robert Fergusson, David Lewis and Peter James, all from Swansea, admitted visiting a store on Douglas Promenade while heading to their hotel on Monday.

Under Manx laws, key workers must self-isolate at their home or place of accommodation while off shift.

The trio were sentenced to 14 days in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Fergusson, 55 and of Graig Newyn, and Lewis, 51, and James, 61, both of Spencer Terrace, were also fined £500 each and ordered to pay £125 in costs at Douglas Courthouse.

Under the current laws, the island's border remains closed to non-residents unless they have been given special permission to enter.

Key workers are only allowed to travel between work and their accommodation.

The court heard the men had been given permission to carry out work at a fuel depot in Peel from 28 September to 1 October, and after arriving in Douglas shortly before 18:00 BST they drove to their hotel.

After parking on Douglas Promenade, they went into a shop to buy cans of beer before making their way to their accommodation nearby.

They were reported to police by a member of the public who saw them entering the shop wearing masks and noticed their van had UK number plates.

Officers spoke to a staff member at the store who confirmed they had purchased items, and they were arrested at their hotel rooms.

The court was told they had been handed their exemption certificates by their employer on the quayside before boarding the ferry and had not read the "fine print".

Sentencing the trio, magistrates said their behaviour had been "reckless" and there had been considerable time during the ferry crossing to read the documents, which made the rules "clear".

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