Cumbrian Covid rule-breakers get fines and costs of almost £40k in one day

Dozens of people – who came from across the county – were prosecuted for flouting the lockdown rules, and given hefty fines, mostly for taking part in illegal gatherings.

One of the biggest fines was handed to a man from the Carlisle area who gave police false personal details.

With the addition of costs and victim surcharges, Carlisle’s Rickergate court raked in for the public purse a total of £37,586. Several offenders were prosecuted after being found in cars with friends - technically an illegal gathering under lockdown rules.

The latest cases dealt with at Carlisle’s Rickergate court, which has already imposed tens of thousands in fines at earlier hearings, were the following:

• Steven James Airey, 21, of Brookside, Raffles, Carlisle. Fined £1,100 with £85 costs for participating in an illegal gathering in a Tier 4 area just before 1am on February 27 in Burgh Road, Carlisle. He did this with three other people in an Audi car, the court heard.

• Iona Bateman, 25, of Davies Road, Workington. Fined £120 with £85 costs for joining a gathering in a private dwelling in a Tier 4 area in Iredale Crescent on February 10. She admitted the offence.

• Joshua John Conley, 24, of Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. Fined £1,173 with £85 costs for being in Penrith on March 14, outside the Tier 4 area where he was living in Catterick with “no reasonable excuse.”

• Emily Eden, 23, of Beck Lane, Brampton. Fined £1,760 with £85 costs. The offence was committed on February 16, when, with no reasonable excuse, took place in an illegal private gathering at Armstrong Court, Brampton, consisting of two or more people.

• Angela Margaret Harrison, 46, of West Avenue, Wigton. Fined £480 with £85 costs for failing to self-isolate at her home address after receiving a positive Covid-19 rest result, contrary to the national Health Protection Regulations; a second £480 fine after police saw her at a place with persons not in her bubble in Croft Court, Wigton, on February 15; fined £480 for failing to self-isolate.

• Jason Hetherington, 27, of Mart Close, Aspatria. Fined £680 with £85 costs for being outside the place where he was living without a reasonable excuse. He pleaded guilty.

• Lucianne Hinch, 32, of Ackenthwiate, Milnthorpe. Fined £1,384 with £85 costs for being outside the area where she was living at the time in Haigh Lane, Barnsley, on March 3. She pleaded guilty.

• Thomas Scott Hodgson, 32, of Parklands Crescent, Penrith. Fines £80 with £85 costs for participating in an illegal gathering at the “Step 1” area, Penrith, which took place indoors at an industrial unit on the North Lakes Business Park, Flusco. He pleaded guilty.

• Sophie Nicole Holmes, 20, of Hartington Street, Barrow: Fined £320 with £85 costs for participating in a gathering in a Tier 4 area in Hartington Street on March 6. She pleaded guilty.

• Alisha Lowis, 24, of Heron Grove, Appleby. Fined £200 with £85 costs after participating in an illegal gathering on April 3 in Appleby at Heron Grove. She pleaded guilty.

• Anthony Kye Anthony Kye McGrath, 29, of Scaleby, near Carlisle. Fined £1,690 with £85 costs for obstructing a police officer on March 19 as the constable was issuing a fixed penalty notice for a breach of coronavirus rules, when the defendant gave “false personal details”. With the addition of a £169 victim surcharge, his total bill to the court was £1,944. He pleaded guilty.

• Lee Moorhead, 30, of Levens Drive, Carlisle. Fined £1,100 with£85 costs for participating in an illegal gather in Carlisle – then a Tier 4 area when he met people in a Vauxhall Vectra, without a reasonable excuse.

• Nula Nan, 49, of Thomson Street, Carlisle. Fined £1,760 with £85 costs for participating in an illegal gathering at her home on February 27 at a time when the city was part of a Tier 4 area under coronavirus rules.

• Victoria Nelmes, 42, of Musgrave Street, Penrith. Fined £1,100 with £85 costs for participating in an illegal gathering with two or more people – namely in a Volvo C30 on February 24.

• David Mark Ostle, 30, of Carleton Road, Penrith. Fined £1,760 with £85 costs for part in an illegal gathering in his flat on February 22.

• Rhianna Purdham, 20, of Lindisfarne Street, Carlisle. Fined £1,7650 with £85 costs for joining an illegal gathering in an indoor space on the street where she lives.

• Bradley James Rutherford, 19, of Access Road to Walkmill from Warcop. Fined £416 with costs leaving the place where he was living, in a Tier 4 area, and going to Tebay on March 19 in breach of covid rules.

• Chelsea Treen, 21, of Greengate Street, Barrow. Fined £1,760 with £85 costs for joining an illegal gathering in Ramsden Street, Barrow, on February 27.

• Luke Wakefield, 31, of Ackenthwaite, Milnthorpe. Fined £1,333 with £85 costs for leaving the Tier 4 area where he was living and going to Ambleside, in breach of covid movement restriction regulations.

• Caitlin Tamara Watson, 20, of Lady Anne Drive, Kirkby Stephen. Fined £1,100 with £85 costs for participating in an illegal gathering in Penrith on February 22 which took place in an outdoor space – namely a vehicle that was in Kilgour Street. Court records show the defendant was also joined an illegal gathering in a Vauxhall Corsa that was in Brewery Lane, Penrith on the same day. For this offence, she was fined £1,760 with £85 costs.

• Leon Jacob Weston, 23, of Windsor Road, Workington. Fined £1,100 with £85 costs for joining an illegal gathering at Iredale Crescent, Workington, on February 10.

• Sarah Louise Whitaker, 37, of Eamont Bridge, Penrith. Fined £660 with £85 costs for being at an illegal gathering in Hunter Lane, Penrith, on March 22.

Court results show that the total imposed during the 'covid court' session last week was as follows: £31,872 in fines; £2,465 in costs; and £3,249 in victim surcharges. Several of the defendants whose cases came before the court were from outside of Cumbria.

They included visitors from Essex, Lancaster, and Liverpool.