Yahoo News More than 400 defendants charged in coronavirus-related cases since start of April
More than 400 defendants have been charged with offences related to coronavirus since April, the director of public prosecutions has revealed.
Speaking at the Commons justice committee, Max Hill said a total of 424 people faced 660 charged offences.
These include 313 emergency worker assaults, 142 offences of criminal damage, 99 public order offences, 62 common assaults, and 44 cases of shoplifting across England and Wales.
The figures come as Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick said earlier this month that officers had no power to enforce the two-metre social distancing rule set out by the government.
She added that other measures – including wearing face masks on public transport – were also unenforceable.
The statistics also come after it was revealed that all 44 charges brought under the Coronavirus Act – which allows officers to remove or detain a "suspected infectious person" for screening and assessment – were ruled incorrect, including 13 wrongful convictions.
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.
Civil liberties groups and lawyers are now calling for a review of more than 14,000 police fines for alleged breaches of COVID-19 lockdown rules over fears some have been "wrongly issued”.
National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) chairman Martin Hewitt is now being urged to launch a review of all fixed penalty notices (FPNs) handed out in England and Wales using the regulations.
A letter to Hewitt has been signed by civil liberties groups, including Big Brother Watch and Liberty, as well as lawyers, including Kirsty Brimelow QC, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers.
It reads: "We believe that a significant number of FPNs have been wrongly issued and, particularly in light of the amended regulations that present new enforcement challenges, that there is a continued risk of FPNs being wrongly issued - and at significantly increased numbers.
"This is why an urgent national review of all FPNs issued under emergency laws is required.”
The letter argues the fines are issued with less scrutiny than charges, which go before a magistrates' court, and highlights a "postcode lottery" of policing across the country.
Higher fines can now be imposed in England – £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days, and rising to a maximum of £3,200 for subsequent offences, following the relation of some lockdown rules.
Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo said: "We understand the challenges police face but if the public is to trust in lawful, proportionate and fair policing in this pandemic then they must at least admit and correct the serious mistakes they've made.
"There could be hundreds or even thousands of people in this country, many already suffering financial hardship, who have paid police fines despite having done nothing wrong.
"The CPS review revealed an outbreak of injustice and we fear it could be just the tip of the iceberg.”
Coronavirus: what happened today
Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter
Read more about COVID-19
How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms
What you can and can’t do under lockdown rules
In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal
How public transport could look after lockdown
How our public spaces will change in the future
Help and advice
Read the full list of official FAQs here
10 tips from the NHS to help deal with anxiety
What to do if you think you have symptoms
How to get help if you've been furloughed
