A BINGLEY pensioner on holiday on the Isle of Man has been jailed for four weeks after walking onto a motorbike race course.

James William Ford, of Rangepark Road, appeared at Douglas courthouse this week.

He admitted two offences under the island’s Road Races Act 2016 - obstructing racing and failing to comply with marshals.

He’s the first person to be prosecuted under the laws.

Ford told the court he was a regular visitor to the Isle of Man TT Races, and saved his pension each year.

The court heard a practice session for the motorcycle racing was due to get underway at 6pm on Monday, May 28 when marshals asked Ford to move from a gateway on a closed road.

Prosecution advocate Mike Jelski said Ford became aggressive and belligerent, refusing to move and saying he’d stood in the same spot for the last seven years.

The event was delayed for 20 minutes as the 67 year old refused to budge – when the clerk of the course spoke to him by phone, Ford said: “I’m not moving. If you send police you’d better make sure they’re big lads”.

However, after other spectators jeered him Ford eventually crossed over the course before police arrived and arrested him.

Ford’s advocate Roger Kane said his client was deeply sorry for his actions and the TT was his only holiday each year.

He asked the court not to exclude him from the Isle of Man and instead impose a fine.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said a message needed to be sent that marshals don’t deserve to be abused when they’re doing their jobs.

She told Ford by arguing with them he’d endangered his own safety, as well as that of racers and other spectators.

She sentenced him to a total of four weeks in prison after serving half his sentence he’ll be sent back to the UK and banned from the Isle of Man for five years.