Drunk man who crossed live Classic TT track jailed
The footage shows the man brazenly crossing the track during a Manx GP session just before the bikes sped past!
The first viral footage from the Classic TT was not what anyone wanted to see, as a man brazenly crossed the track near St Ninian's while the racers sped toward him.
That footage helped lead police to an individual, who was fairly easy to spot, given his (lack) of dress sense and right arm in a sling. Thankfully, the news from the Isle of Man is that he’s been arrested, charged and will now be spending the next 24 weeks in prison.
The idiot person in question is Christopher Crellin, who, on Tuesday, August 19, barged past track-side marshals and crossed the live track by the Ellan Vannin Fuels garage on Bray Hill. The section of track where he crossed is, as any fan of the TT knows, exceptionally fast, with the classic bikes from the Formula One class nudging 180mph there.
Despite the shouts from the marshals and the public, Crellin continues to cross the road, with somebody opening the barrier on the opposite side. Apparently unaware of the danger he put himself, the riders and the other spectators in, he even takes time to argue with fans as they berate him for his actions.
The footage, which has been widely shared on social media, was shown in court. The 38-year-old appeared before magistrates this afternoon (August 22), with Crellin pleading guilty to entering onto a closed road, provoking behaviour, and being drunk in public. He was also sentenced to eight weeks for provoking behaviour, to run consecutively.
Defending Crellin, Paul Rodgers blamed his client's mental health, alcohol intake, and cannabis use as factors in his decision-making (or lack of) on the day.
The dangers of entering the roads around the Isle of Man, when racing is taking place, are widely publicised before, during and after the racing has finished. The maximum sentence for doing so is six months’ custody.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
