A pensioner who went on the access road during TT has been fined £500.

Jack McVey, from Union Mills, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a requirement of a marshal.

A second charge, of being found drunk in a public place, was withdrawn by the prosecution.

Magistrates also ordered him to pay £125 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told the court that, on June 6 at 2pm, McVey was walking on the New Castletown Road in Douglas.

When he came to a sign at the TT access road which said ‘pedestrians prohibited’, he ignored it and walked past it.

He was approached by a marshal who pointed out the sign to him and told him he couldn’t walk on the road.

However, McVey told him: ‘I can’t read.’

The marshal then said that he was therefore verbally advising him that he couldn’t go on the road, but McVey then said ‘whatever’ and carried on walking.

Police were called and found the 66-year-old walking on the carriageway holding up traffic.

He was described as smelling of alcohol and was subsequently arrested.

During an interview at police headquarters, McVey handed in a prepared statement admitting the offence and saying he had drunk three pints between 10.30am and 1.30pm.

Defence advocate David Clegg stressed that his client had not been charged with entering onto the TT course, only its entry access road, so there had been no risk to riders.

‘This is a very different offence,’ said the advocate.

‘He caused a significant amount of inconvenience.

‘The TT access road is not brilliant at the best of times.’

Mr Clegg said that his client was not drunk but had consumed alcohol and was walking home to his address at Close Y Lhergy.

‘He can’t offer a good explanation as to why he walked that way,’ said the advocate.

‘Mr McVey apologised unreservedly.’

Mr Clegg said that the defendant himself had said: ‘It’s a really silly thing and I don’t know why I did it.’

Magistrates gave McVey credit for his guilty plea.

Magistrates chair Belinda Pilling told him: ‘Although it was an access road, that road is used by emergency services and had there been an ambulance or police car wanting to get through quickly, you would have held them up.’

McVey was ordered to pay the fine and costs at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from his benefits.