British Transport Police has admitted wrongly charging a woman who was fined £660 under coronavirus legislation.
Marie Dinou, 41, from York, was arrested at Newcastle Central Station on Saturday after she refused to tell police why she needed to travel. She was subsequently fined by magistrates for breaching the Coronavirus Act.
However, a police and Crown Prosecution Service review said she was charged under the wrong part of the act. The court will be asked to set the conviction aside.
“There will be understandable concern that our interpretation of this new legislation has resulted in an ineffective prosecution,” said British Transport Police Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock.
Mr Hanstock said his officers were “rightfully challenging her unnecessary travel”, however ultimately recognised that the charge should not have been brought against Ms Dinou.
He said: “This was in circumstances where officers were properly dealing with someone who was behaving suspiciously in the station, and who staff believed to be travelling without a valid ticket.”
He added: “Regardless, we fully accept that this shouldn’t have happened and we apologise.”
The British Transport Police said she was incorrectly charged under schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act and that the Force would not pursue any alternative prosecution in the matter.
Since the incident, Mr Hanstock insisted frontline officers had been provided with the latest guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council to help them interpret the new legislation and stop any future mix ups from occurring.
The Deputy Chief said: “I must remind the public that officers will continue to engage with people and seek to understand their reasons for their journeys,
“Where we determine that there is no justifiable purpose for them being on the transport network, we will explain to the public why they should not travel.”
Under Schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act, it is illegal to fail to comply with the instructions of police officers without reasonable excuse with the maximum penalty set as a fine of £1,000.
UNN is a truly alternative news organisation delivering live shows, articles, outside broadcasts and so much more! We desperately need your support to continue each month and you can support our work by Clicking Here Now and SUBSCRIBING to show your support for Real News!
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
