French TT visitor fined after doing U-turn on Mountain Road in fog

Deputy High Bailiff tells tourist: "The signs are very clear"

A French TT visitor has been fined £500 after being caught flouting the one-way system on the Mountain Road.

Aymeric Pierre Antoine Guinoiseau, from Avranches, appeared at Douglas Courthouse today (2 June) from custody.

The 36-year-old was stopped by police at 5.40pm yesterday (1 June); officers watched him ride his Ducati past The Bungalow before stopping and doing a U-turn.

He then travelled 100 metres, in the wrong direction, back to The Bungalow at around 20 miles-per-hour.

It was raining at the time and foggy.

The officers immediately stopped other traffic using the route, to avoid a collision, and the Frenchman was arrested.

He told police he’d lost sight of the people he was travelling with and had turned around to find them saying: “I got scared when I couldn’t see my father and brother. I thought there’d been an accident.”

In court Guinoiseau, who was assisted by a French interpreter, pleaded guilty to failing to conform to the traffic direction.

His advocate told the court the welder had never been to the UK, or the Isle of Man, before adding: “He effectively speaks no English.

“He’s deeply apologetic. He thought he was here (in custody) for an illegal U-turn. I’d ask you to treat this as a genuine misunderstanding.

“If he thought he was doing anything wrong he wouldn’t have done it in front of so many police officers.”

Fining Guinoiseau, and ordering him to pay prosecution costs of £125, Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood accepted he hadn’t deliberately set out to break the law.

She told him: “Riding against the one-way direction on the Mountain Road can be extremely serious. There could have been an accident.

“The signs are very clear. It is your responsibility to make sure you are riding in accordance with all road signs and restrictions.”

The fine, and costs, must be paid forthwith or Guinoiseau will face 40 days in custody.