Teenagers and students who are unable to afford the exorbitant fines imposed on them for attending Covid parties may now face the consequences of having a criminal record. Legal experts are advocating for the waiving of these fees in order to alleviate the burden on these individuals. According to a report by the National Police Chief’s council, a staggering 57,100 individuals under the age of 25 were fined for violating pandemic restrictions. Shockingly, despite representing only 8% of the population, 48% of the penalty notices in England and Wales were issued to individuals between the ages of 18 and 24.
Even three years after the initiation of the first lockdown, court cases related to these penalties are still ongoing. Many young people, however, are choosing to challenge the fixed-term penalty notices or neglecting to make the required payments. These individuals believe that the fines are unjust and are seeking legal resolution.
One example of a young person facing these consequences is Charlotte Evans, a 20-year-old who was ordered to pay £2,021 for hosting a raucous house party that was raided by the police in January 2021. Evans, who resides in Gelligaer, near Caerphilly, South Wales, had her neighbors report a disruptive gathering to the authorities. At the time, her neighborhood was under Coronavirus Alert Level 4, which prohibited household mixing. Evans, a young mother, made a partial payment of £101.50, but due to her unemployment, magistrates reduced her penalty to just over £500.
Although the number of fines escalated to the courts was 54,108, accounting for 43% of the total fines, legal experts argue that these penalties disproportionately affect young people, students, and ethnic minorities. In light of this, professors from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Law and the University of Stirling are calling on the government to waive unpaid fines. They contend that their research supports the claim that these penalties are unfairly targeting specific demographic groups. These professors propose using their findings to implement more proportionate legislative and policing responses during future pandemics.
Professor Susan McVie of Edinburgh University, a member of an independent advisory group in Scotland that assessed policing during the pandemic, stated, “There is a case to be made for having an amnesty on any fines or charges resulting from the pandemic, on the basis that it serves no purpose to continue to penalize people long after the pandemic has finished.”
It is important to note that if these fines are paid on time, they are considered “non-recordable” and do not appear on criminal record checks, similar to parking tickets. However, if the fines are disregarded and individuals are summoned to court, they may receive a criminal record, which could negatively impact their job prospects.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
