People who paid a much higher price for Covid breaches than the PM
TWO of the UK’S most senior members of Government have been found to have broken the restrictions their own cabinet implemented across the UK following an investigation into lockdown parties. The outcome? A £50 fine. Just over a third of the cost of the fridge that was bought to keep their alcohol cool in their weekly drinks gathering.
Boris Johnson confirmed his fixed penalty notice followed an investigation into a gathering in the Cabinet Room on his birthday on June 19, 2020.
Mr Johnson has quickly brushed his hands of the minor fine, stating he now feels “an even greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the British people”.
It has been revealed that more than 50 fines are set to be issued following allegations of illegal gatherings at a time when restrictions were in place.
A top civil servant, Helen Macnamara, is among those fined £50 for breaking Covid law. In June 2020, she went to a karaoke office event at a time when large gatherings were banned.
Carrie Johnson, the Prime Minister’s wife, has also paid a fine relating to a surprise birthday party for her husband that broke coronavirus rules. It is understood Mrs Johnson briefly attended the Cabinet Room with her newborn baby in her arms during her husband’s lunch break alongside some socially distanced staff and that because the fixed penalty notice was settled within 14 days, it was a reduced rate of £50.
In the light of these developments, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the other fines issued across Wales for lockdown breaches to see how they compare.
Allowing one friend into your home – £2,026 fine.
One 28-year-old woman was ordered to pay £2,026 for inviting a friend to her home on March 21 last year in Caewern, Neath.
PCSO Michael Griffiths said the defendant admitted her friend was not part of her support bubble.
For the crime of allowing a single other person into her home, she was eligible for a fine 40 times higher than Boris Johnson.
Four teenagers meeting in a park – £184 fine.
A month before Mr Johnson and his aides tucked into some cake together, and just a day before the Prime Minister was photographed at a wine and cheese gathering, a teenager was fined in Cardiff. Four friends were spending time in a local park on May 14, 2020.
When approached, they claimed to be doing their daily exercise. However, Police Constable Gilbert expressed that they had “all gathered around the motorbike and were not exercising”.
An 18-year-old in this group was charged £184 for breaching lockdown.
This was more than three times the amount the Prime Minister was fined.
Friends on a fishing trip – £444 fine.
On January 10 last year, a 26-year-old from Ogmore Vale was fined after he and his two friends planned to go fishing. The group were driving to the fishing destination of Aberthaw when they were pulled over by police for having a “heavily obscured number plate”.
When it was confirmed that the passengers did not live together, they were all reported for breaches. Court documents show that one of the men told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court that he went out because he was struggling with his mental health.
The incident itself occurred just a month after seven reported Government and Conservative party gatherings in December. A £444 fine was issued to one of the men – this was more than eight times higher than Mr Johnson’s and Mr Sunak’s penalty.
House party with 15 to 20 guests – £1,375 fine.
Six days before Downing Street’s Christmas boozy, a 23-year-old was ordered to pay £1,375 for hosting a party at her Cwmbran home.
When Police Constable Anthony Aylen knocked at the woman’s door, he was told that only 10 people were at the event, including three occupants. But 15 to 20 people proceeded to exit the house.
For this December 12 event, the host was fined nearly 30 times more than Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s charge.
Gathering at a house in Newport – £2,021 fine.
On April 3 last year, a 26-year-old man also hosted a gathering in Newport. At 12.15am when police officer Simon Dover spoke to an occupant through a locked door, numerous people ran out the back exit. When the officer made it inside, only six people were there.
The man’s party occurred less than two weeks before a leaving-do at No.10 which took place on the night prior to Prince Philip’s funeral. Overall, the man was fined £2,021 – 40 times higher than Boris Johnson’s fine.
Birthday party – £808 fine.
One 39-year-old woman from Barry was ordered to pay £808 over a birthday party on March 6 last year. She said her mental health had been “severely impacted” by lockdown and she had been signed off work for six weeks due to anxiety and depression.
Police had entered a home in Barry at 11.20pm and found nine people drinking. They told police they
were celebrating a birthday.
“Even my mental health nurse advised it would be good for my mental health to meet with friends,” the defendant wrote to Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.
It was a birthday party (his own) that Boris Johnson was fined £50 for attending.
Giving friends a lift in a car – £439 fine.
One student from Cwmbran had just turned 18 when police reported her for a Covid breach last February. She was ordered to pay £439 over a gathering of four people.
A police officer had noticed the woman’s Ford Fiesta in a Cwmbran Drive layby at 11.10pm on February 9. They wrote in their report: “My attention was drawn to this vehicle as I had previously spoken to the occupant of the vehicle at approximately 9.50pm that evening and the driver was issued a fixed penalty ticket for breaching Covid regulations as she was in the vehicle in Newport with two females, one of which she did not live with.”
They added: “I spoke with [the defendant] who was not in the car but putting some horses back into a field that had got onto the road. I then went to the vehicle and saw a female who was in the car previously and also two males who were in the back seat.
“I asked [the defendant] what she was doing and she stated that she was giving the males a lift. I advised her that she was previously told to go home and issued a fixed penalty for mixing with people from other households and she rolled her eyes and said, ‘I’m only giving them a lift’.”