Ross Perot fined for speeding in his boat

Bill's Pre-comment: Source of this article courtesy of the DRUDGE REPORT.

Ross Perot fined for speeding in his boat

By Coggie Gibbons
(News from 2005-07-01 Edition)

American billionaire and sometime Bermuda resident Ross Perot was fined in Magistrates’ Court this week for two marine offences.

Former U.S. presidential candidate Mr. Perot, 75, of Tucker’s Town, pleaded guilty to operating a power craft without reasonable consideration on July 24 last year in western waters and speeding in a restricted area where the limit was five knots.
Inspector Philip Taylor, prosecuting, told the court that a member of the public in a boat in waters off Watford Island, Somerset saw Mr. Perot’s 38-foot boat, ‘Rough Rider’ bearing down at about 30 knots (56 kph) within 100 metres of the shoreline.
The boat was planing, Insp. Taylor told magistrate, the Wor. Kamisi Tokunbo and creating a large wake, rocking the complainant’s boat.

Later that afternoon, the complainant saw Mr. Perot’s boat returning through the area at a high speed before slowing down.

By then ‘Rough Rider’ had formed another large wake, rocking the complainant’s and other boats in the area. Marine police later located Mr. Perot aboard another of his boats in Castle Harbour. He reportedly admitted speeding and said: “I understand” when they charged him.

Insp. Taylor said Mr. Perot has no convictions “in this jurisdiction”.
In court, dressed in green jacket and a white golf shirt, unrepresented Mr. Perot stood erect and expressionless as he addressed Mr. Tokunbo in his firm Texan drawl: “I apologise for the inconvenience I’ve caused the court in taking your time and to the marine police for taking their time.”

Mr. Tokunbo fined the U.S. Naval Academy graduate $200 on the first count and $100 on the second.

Escorted by a police officer in plain clothes, Mr. Perot wasted no time in striding purposefully from the courthouse and getting into the passenger’s seat of a white private car parked in the driveway of the Supreme Court grounds behind Magistrates’ Court, his chauffeur waiting for him.

As the car drove onto Parliament Street, Mr. Perot turned his head away from a press camera as the officer tried to block the reporter’s shot of him.