The swimmer who brought the Oxford-Cambridge boat race to a dramatic halt appeared in court in Britain today.
Trenton Oldfield (35), caused the annual contest on the River Thames to be stopped for around half an hour after he was spotted in the vessels' path as crews battled towards the finish.
Dressed in a crumpled suit and tie, Mr Oldfield spoke softly to confirm his name, date of birth and address at Feltham Magistrates' Court in Middlesex. He showed no emotion as he sat beside his legal team while the charge
against him was read out.
"You are charged, on April 7th of this year, in the River Thames near Chiswick Eyot, with causing a public nuisance by swimming into the path of the University Boat Race and causing it to stop," he was told.
Michael Schwarz, defending, indicated Mr Oldfield would not enter a plea and his case was committed to crown court.
Mr Oldfield, who is Australian, was released on bail with restrictions preventing him from entering the City of Westminster on May 9th for the state opening of Parliament and forbidding him from going into the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead prior to his next court appearance.
During this time, there are a number of events planned in the borough to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
A further bail condition bans Mr Oldfield from using - or being within 100 metres of - roads which form part of the Olympic torch route until the same date. He is due to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on May 28th.
The 158th Boat Race on April 7th was labelled “possibly the most dramatic in history” by organisers after Mr Oldfield created unprecedented disruption. It was the first time in its history that the event was disrupted by a swimmer.
This year’s contest also saw an Oxford crew member break an oar before the team’s bowman Alex Woods collapsed after crossing the finishing line. He was later treated in hospital.
Mr Oldfield sparked scenes of chaos when he swam towards the boats as they were neck and neck. He narrowly avoided being hit by the blade of an Oxford oar before being pulled from the river. He was taken away on a police launch and arrested.
The race was restarted nearly half an hour later, with Cambridge powering on to victory.