In a sobering investigation, the Telegraph reveals how ordinary citizens are still being hauled through the courts for Covid rule breaches – years after restrictions ended – despite many simply falling foul of unclear regulations. Here’s an excerpt:
According to data analysed by the Telegraph, around 130 people appeared before court for hearings related to alleged Covid breaches in the past six months.
One of those was Kensington-based artist Dodi Wexler, 55, an American expat who has lived in the UK for the past 25 years.
In December 2020, Mrs Wexler and her three teenage sons flew to Massachusetts for a short Christmas holiday and became stuck there after the UK went into its third lockdown in January 2021.
When the restrictions lifted that March, they were finally able to travel back to the UK after registering negative Covid PCR tests on February 26th in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.
But Mrs Wexler was confused about the UK’s entry requirements and mistakenly booked a day 5 PCR test – when the requirements at the time were for day 2 and day 8 PCR Tests.
After arriving at Heathrow, Border Force confirmed she had the wrong tests and she was instructed to buy the correct ones from a centre outside the airport for £840.
On December 3rd, 2022, more than a year-and-a-half later, she received four £1,000 fixed penalty notices (PCN) from Border Force, one for failing to possess a testing kit herself, and the other three for failing to possess kits for her children.
In a letter contesting the PCNs to Steve Dann, the then chief operating officer of Border Force, Mrs Wexler wrote: “I am writing to ask you to please consider having mercy on us with this charge. It is cripplingly expensive and we just don’t have this spare cash lying around. My children are innocent of this breach as well, It was I who messed up.”
Mr Dann wrote back giving her two options – pay the fine or face prosecution.
She fought the charge for almost two years before finally appearing over Zoom for a hearing at Stockport magistrates’ court in Nov 2024, where her fine was reduced to £400.
Mrs Wexler said the ordeal was “traumatising” and made her feel like a “criminal”. …
Separate Telegraph analysis of government data shows that, on average, 11 people were still being sentenced for coronavirus offences each month in the first half of 2024.
Of the 30,701 people sentenced through the courts, one in six (16%) were sentenced after all coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns were lifted in February 2022.
Two-thirds were sentenced in the period after July 2021, when the last major lockdown restrictions were lifted.
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