A Northern Bottlenose whale has been the first person to be fined under new Thames Bylaws introduced earlier this month. Nanuq Naartok, of The Gully, Nova Scotia, spoke only to confirm his name in Bow Street Magistrates court.
The incident, which took place on July 3rd, began after a routine Thames River Police patrol spotted the whale behaving suspiciously near Canvey Island. As the officers approached, the whale accelerated away, beginning a seven hour chase at speeds approaching six miles per hour, only ending when the defendant lost control near the Albert Bridge and was arrested. The court heard how the whale swam recklessly upstream, performing dangerous manoeuvres, including belly-flops, barge barging and tail-splashes, before exposing his genitalia to a crowd of Japanese tourists at Westminster Bridge.
A spokesperson for the Port of London Authority, Jim Hawkins, said “This should send out a clear signal to anyone intending on using the river without authorisation and approved equipment. It’s a dangerous body of water. It’s important to remember just how much the river has changed since the last Bylaw change in 1978. If you want to get a feel for just how much things have changes since then, remember that in 1978 there were no mobile phones, Britain still had a failing car industry and Noel Edmonds was a respected Radio personality in the Radio 1 breakfast slot.“
Naartok was fined £450, £15 victim surcharge and £200 costs for numerous breaches of the Thames Bylaws 2012 including using a non-compliant navigation system and failure to display correct lighting.
Quick links: NewsBiscuit Home • Chat Room • Writers' Room • Top Ten
Whale fined for breaching new Thames Bylaws
(2 posts) (2 voices)
Current rating::
-
ginty
offlineMemberPosted 10 months ago # -
The Masked Frog
offlineMemberLucky the whale chose moderate britain for its law breaking activities. Would have got the death sentence in Japan. Whales don't know they're born in fairness.
Posted 10 months ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.