A Vale man will spend the rest of his life behind bars having been found guilty of taking a two hour five minute walk during Guernsey’s second lockdown.
Henry De La Croq of Sohier Road, Vale was arrested by police near Pulias pond – two miles from his home.
At court 78-year-old De La Croq said he had lost track of time watching birds playing in the pond.
“I don’t have a pocket watch like the youngens and I don’t have a mobile phone like the youngens,” he explained.
“I lost track of the time. When I heard the sirens I ran as is tradition – but police arrested me before I could get home.”
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Tony Le Huray said there was no place for lawlessness in Guernsey.
“Not only was this a despicable crime, but it could also have caused real harm to the community as a whole.
“Your being out of your house by yourself breathing the fresh air for five additional minutes could have killed someone.”
Mr De La Croq was given 10 years, which he advised the judge would likely be the rest of his life.
“That’s what they all say,” Judge Le Huray replied.
A spokesman for Guernsey Police said they were pleased to have done their bit to protect the island.
“We actually speed gunned the old boy running at one mile-per-hour and knew he couldn’t possibly make it back home within his allotted window. Smart, see?
“We don’t get much crime here, so it’s a real feather in our cap that we can still put the brakes on criminality when we see it. It really gets us going ya know?
“We’re sure islanders will sleep soundly in their beds tonight knowing one more of the criminal fraternity is where they belong – behind bars. Disgusting.”
These are tough times for us all. Stay safe out there. If you’re planning on breaking your two hour allotted time, do it in a mask and you might get a lighter sentence.
[…] “We’ve come close to this sort of situation before, in fact we really thought it was going to happen during the last lockdown. […]