Dolphin 'enjoyed swim with men'

Two men who swam with a dolphin off Kent after a night out told a court they thought the animal had enjoyed it.

Michael Jukes, 27, of Castle Avenue, Folkestone, and Daniel Buck, 26, Church Road, Folkestone, both deny charges of disturbing the dolphin known as Dave.

They said they swam with the animal after it approached them in June 2007.

At their trial at Dover Magistrates' Court, the defendants also denied reports they had tried to ride the dolphin by grabbing one of its fins.

The court heard the two men, who had been drinking heavily at a party, decided to go for a swim after they had walked to a garage for some cigarettes.

"I didn't hurt the dolphin in any way. I didn't think I did anything wrong"
Michael Jukes, defendant

Mr Buck said he had not realised the dolphin was nearby and when he first spotted Dave he was actually scared.

"If I'd seen the dolphin first I wouldn't have gone for a swim," he told the court.

Mr Jukes said he did not try and grab the animal's dorsal fin and try to climb on to it during the swim.

He added: "I didn't hurt the dolphin in any way. I didn't think I did anything wrong".

Mr Buck and Mr Jukes were arrested by police after residents in Sandgate called to complain about the noise the men were making.

The pair said they had been swept further out to sea by the current when officers arrived and denied they ignored their orders to swim back to shore.

'Unpredictable and dangerous'

Magistrates were told by James Barnett of British Divers Life Rescue that solitary dolphins were less likely to rejoin their group if they had a lot of contact with humans.

He said if they became "too familiar they could become unpredictable and dangerous".

Mr Barnett, who is a vet, also said spending time in shallow water also made them more susceptible to bacterial diseases and being injured by boats or fishing nets.

Mr Jukes said Dave, who became a huge draw for tourists after being seen regularly in the sea off Folkestone in 2007, had already experienced a significant amount of human contact before their swim on 9 June.

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