70 people prosecuted for Covid rule-breaking in West Midlands

Ministry of Justice data shows that in 2020, there were 70 court prosecutions in the area served by West Midlands Police for breaches of restrictions introduced at the beginning of the pandemic.

They resulted in 33 convictions, with most leading to fines.

The largest number of fines, 13, ranged from £50 to £100, while two convictions resulted in fines of between £1,000 and £2,500.

In total, £5,878 in fines were issued by the courts in the West Midlands.

Aside from fines, one prosecution led to a conditional discharge, where no further action is taken unless a further offence is committed, and one to a community sentence.

It comes comes as far fewer fines for breaches of Covid-19-related laws were handed out since the Government's roadmap out of lockdown got underway

Almost all the convictions, 30, were for breaches of emergency restrictions, while three were for offences related to failing to comply with screening.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "As we have done throughout the pandemic, we have continued to follow our 4 E model of engage, explain, encourage and only using enforcement as a last resort."

The financial penalties have been criticised by campaign groups who also say many nationally did not get a fair hearing due to the introduction a fast-track court process.

Criticism has been made of the enforcement of coronavirus restrictions, in particular the use of a fast-track system which sees cases dealt with by a legal adviser and a single magistrate out of court.

This process, known as the single justice procedure, is aimed at reducing paperwork and freeing up court time, but in a report, the Joint Committee on Human Rights, MPs and peers said it meant defendants were unable provide any reasonable excuse for why they breached the law.

More than 1,000 defendants were tried for Covid offences using this fast-track process between July and September last year, the committee said.

Campaign groups including Fair Trials and Transform Justice have since sent a letter to the Government calling for the practice to be stopped.

Griff Ferris, legal and policy officer at Fair Trials, a criminal justice watchdog, said it was unjust for people to be criminalised and fined by an "opaque and unchecked process behind closed doors".

He added: "The single justice procedure is rushed justice, on the cheap, and it is completely inappropriate for assessing charges under confusing lockdown laws."

The MoJ said the decision to use the single justice procedure lay with the prosecutor.