Months after England’s last lockdown, why are courts still pursuing Covid breaches? | Francisco Garcia

This law and order approach to public health has overwhelmed the courts – and hit vulnerable people hardest

In February, police officers approached 58-year-old Lorraine Kent as she sat at the double doors by the underground car park of a Tesco in Streatham, south London. They asked her to explain herself. Kent wasn’t wearing a mask, or “adhering to Covid-19 guidelines”. It was clear she was begging. During their conversation, a passerby had offered some money. Kent, who lives in sheltered accommodation, was issued with a £200 fine. It wasn’t a sum she had the means to pay.

In June, Westminster magistrates court ordered Kent to pay £2,500 in further fines and costs in absentia. It remains a mystery exactly what such a punitive outcome was supposed to achieve in the name of public health – or for a vulnerable woman already experiencing destitution. Her case is by no means unique.

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