London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Thousands of Covid-19 lockdown violations in England & Wales judged via non-transparent judicial procedure – reports

Thousands of Covid-19 lockdown violations in England & Wales judged via non-transparent judicial procedure – reports

Under an opaque fast-track legal process that bypasses court hearings, thousands of people in England and Wales have reportedly been prosecuted for Covid-related offences with activists alleging widespread miscarriages of justice.

Figures from a parliamentary answer this month revealed that 4,242 cases under coronavirus health protection regulations were disposed of last year through the controversial single justice procedure (SJP) system.

In the SJP process, rulings in non-imprisonable crimes – such as lockdown violations or non-payment of TV licensing fees – are decided by a single magistrate, rather than the usual bench of three, largely on police evidence and in consultation with a legal adviser.

A legal notice is sent to inform defendants of the SJP charges and it is left up to them to respond online with a plea within 21 days. In 90% of the Covid-related cases, a decision was made with no plea entered, according to The Guardian.

Last month, a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) audit of the 1,821 cases charged under Covid laws (between March 26, 2020 and March 31, 2021) and heard in open court in England and Wales identified 549 instances where defendants were wrongly charged.

About 18% of the prosecutions brought under the health protection regulations – which have varied over the pandemic to include restrictions regarding leaving home, social gatherings, self-isolation, travel and the wearing of face coverings – were found to be incorrectly charged.

In addition, all 270 charges brought under the Coronavirus Act (2020) – the main criminal offence of which relates to suspected positive individuals refusing to be screened for Covid-19 – were dropped since there was no recorded case of a potentially infectious person refusing to co-operate with police or public health officers.

The audit attributed cases brought in error to “wrong iterations of the rules, which have changed frequently, being used. Some cases were also discontinued due to insufficient evidence.”

In a letter to the justice secretary last month, a coalition of civil liberties groups called for a review of all such criminal prosecutions related to the Covid rules. SJP cases are currently not reviewed by the CPS.


“Considering the significant rates of unlawful charges found by the CPS’ reviews, we can assume that a sizeable number of these unreviewed charges will also be unlawful,” the letter noted.

A recent report on pandemic policing by a parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights cautioned that the SJP was an “inadequate tool to provide the necessary fair trial protections” to defendants charged with coronavirus laws so “lacking in clarity” that they have been “poorly understood” by law enforcement authorities, leading to “so many mistakes.”

Indicative of the confusion surrounding the rules, there were reportedly eight SJP prosecutions under schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act – which relates to “potentially infectious persons” – despite the fact that SJPs are only supposed to be used for violations of the health protection regulations.

In a tweet, UK-based civil liberties group Big Brother Watch noted that there were 37 people prosecuted unlawfully under schedule 22 of the Coronavirus Act – dealing with “events, gatherings and premises” – since that provision had “never been activated by ministers.”

“The single justice procedure is justice on the cheap and is completely inappropriate for assessing charges under confusing lockdown laws,” Madeleine Stone, the group’s legal and policy officer, told The Guardian.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×