Coronavirus: Every person prosecuted under Coronavirus Act was wrongly charged

Every person prosecuted under the Coronavirus Act was wrongly charged, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

Under the act, officers are allowed to remove or detain a "suspected infectious person" for screening and assessment, but all 44 charges brought up until the end of April were incorrect.

And 12 charges under the Health Protection Regulations 2020, which give police powers to break up gatherings and fine people breaching restriction of movement rules, were also wrong.

However, other offences under those regulations were charged correctly, CPS director of legal services Gregor McGill said.

"Under the regulations, the vast majority, that's 175 out of 187, have been charged correctly.

"And these included people driving from London to Leicester for a party, groups drinking and misbehaving in the park and other groups hanging around the town centre after being asked to go home by police on several occasions.

"Where mistakes were made, it was usually because Welsh regulations were used in England, or vice versa.

"Under the act, all 44 charges were incorrect because they did not cover potentially infectious people, which is what the legislation is intended for."

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The CPS reviewed all 231 police charges under coronavirus legislation in England and Wales up to the end of April, where the prosecution has either been stopped or ended in a conviction.

Most (38) of the 44 charges had been brought alongside other offences, including assaults on emergency workers, theft and burglary, Mr McGill said.

Thirty-one of the wrongful charges were withdrawn in court, with 13 wrongful convictions returned to court to be withdrawn.

It comes as the National Police Chiefs' Council revealed that a total of 14,244 fines for alleged breaches of these laws were issued by forces in England and Wales up to 11 May.

Most fines have been issued in London, the figures show, with the Metropolitan Police issuing the highest number of fines, 906, of the 43 regional police forces in England and Wales.

Thames Valley Police was second with 866, and North Yorkshire third, with 843. Warwickshire issued the fewest, with just 31.

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt said he was satisfied with how the laws were being enforced.

"The figures show our approach is proportionate with just 0.02% of the population in England and Wales being issued with a fine.

"Our approach of - engage, explain and encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce - will continue. It is working across the UK. I urge the public to keep going, keep following the advice."