More than 28,000 people in England and Wales have been convicted of breaches of Covid-19 regulations, despite the government’s claim that it did not intend to criminalise minor infractions during the pandemic. These convictions primarily involve Covid-related offences such as attending gatherings during lockdown or arriving at airports without proper coronavirus test evidence. Notably, 55% of the convictions involved individuals under 30. The figures, sourced from data from the Ministry of Justice and analysed by The Guardian, are significantly higher than previous estimates. The high number of convictions highlights how tens of thousands, mostly young people, have been harshly penalised for relatively minor Covid rule infractions, resulting in damaging fines and criminal records. Despite restrictions being lifted two years prior, magistrates continue to work through a backlog of cases, with approximately 100 Covid-related cases heard every month. The average fine issued in magistrates courts last year was £6,000, with some fines amounting to £10,000. These figures have led to increased calls for the government to stop the criminal prosecutions. The director of Transform Justice, Penelope Gibbs, stated that all outstanding Covid prosecutions should be cancelled immediately. The government previously stated that it would treat most Covid regulation breaches as civil infractions, introducing fines as a deterrent, instead of criminalising individuals. However, these statements appear contradictory to the 28,000 convictions, which primarily stemmed from individuals initially receiving fixed-penalty notices. Contesting or not paying fines resulted in magistrate judges ruling on the cases without the defendants present, through fast-track procedures. Misunderstood or missed paperwork has led to individuals being found guilty and sentenced without their knowledge, with some only discovering their conviction when bailiffs arrived. Fast-track prosecutions were carried out through the single justice procedure (SJP), designed to expedite prosecutions that would otherwise backlog magistrates courts. However, concerns are rising that the complex bureaucracy surrounding Covid enforcement is disproportionately penalising tens of thousands of people. Cases like these prompt calls for the suspension of Covid prosecutions. The congestion of magistrates courts with Covid-related cases is reflected in other figures, with 700 cases being processed in the past six months. Many of these cases have been waiting for over two years for a resolution. The extent of these prosecutions is evident in figures obtained from a Guardian analysis of Courtsdesk, indicating that 54 cases were heard in Ealing magistrates court alone last month. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice defended the SJP, stating that it facilitated swift justice while remaining fair and transparent. The government’s decision to continue prosecutions aims to be fair to those who complied with regulations and received no conviction.
Over 28,000 Individuals Convicted of Covid Rule Violations in England and Wales | Coronavirus
Denial of responsibility! Swift Telecast is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – swifttelecast.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.