A Couple Who Visited A Care Home In South

A couple who visited a care home in South [/news/wales/index.html Wales] to see their 94-year-old mother through her window have had their £60 fine withdrawn amid an intensifying police crackdown on lockdown rule-breakers.
Carol Richards, 68, and husband David, 66, of Bridgend travelled 10 miles to visit dementia sufferer Decima Minhinnick at Picton Court Care Home.
They were reprimanded by police on the way back despite having received permission to see Ms Minhinnick and handed a £60 penalty. 
South Wales Police have now rescinded the fine after reviewing the incident, following a public backlash to the growing war on shutdown flouters.
Mrs Richards had described the incident as 'dystopian', adding: 'A police lady flagged us down and I thought 'Oh right, they're policing the area, that's fine'. 
'So I explained to her that we were going home, we'd been to Picton Court visiting my mother but she said this was a non-essential visit.

She said 'We'd all like to knock on our mother's window to see them but you can't do that'.'
Carol Richards, 68, and husband David, 66, were fined by police on the way back from seeing her elderly mother
The couple saw Decima Minhinnick, 94, a resident at a care home in Porthcawl, South Wales, through the window
'I was totally gobsmacked.

I was angry. She just would not listen to any protestations and so she said 'You're going to be issued with a £60 fixed penalty fine'.'
The couple said they do not believe they breached lockdown rules and have complained to the Police Complaints Commissioner.
In a tweet, South Wales Police said: 'Police in Porthcawl issued a fixed penalty notice to a man who had travelled from his home in Penyfai to visit a relative on Sunday (10 January).
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'The circumstances of the journey and the issuing of the fine have since been reviewed and the notice has been rescinded. The individual concerned has been notified.
'Wales remains at Alert Level 4 and South Wales Police will continue to patrol our communities to ensure the legislation, which has been enacted to help slow the spread of coronavirus, is complied with.'
Ms Minhinnick lives at Picton Court Care Home in Porthcawl
According to Welsh Government guidelines, outdoor visits to care homes are allowed for 'compassionate reasons'. 
Mrs Richards had previously said: 'I do not want to pay this fine.

It's not about the £60, it's about the principle and I want to go on seeing my mother. It needs to be clarified.
'I want to see my mother again, she's 94, she could be dead next month. Now I feel as if I'm breaking the law by driving down there to see her.'
The force had said: 'At 4.15pm on Sunday January 10, a police officer on patrol in the Porthcawl area issued a fixed penalty notice to a man who had travelled from his home in Penyfai to visit a relative.
'With Wales currently at Alert Level 4, Welsh Government regulations state that people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes and must not visit other households or meet other people they do not live with.
'In order to support the national effort to help slow the spread of the virus, and assist in enforcing the restrictions, our officers have been given authority to stop any vehicle travelling within the force area, to check the reason for travel.'     
  Cops crack down HARDER on flouters: Police fine Pokemon fan found 14 miles from home and woman who drove 100 miles across three counties to get a McDonald's burger - as group of skiers are stopped at Eurostar  The police crackdown on Britons breaking [/news/coronavirus-lockdowns/index.html lockdown] rules has intensified with fines issued to a man travelling 14 miles to play [/sciencetech/pokemon/index.html Pokemon] Go and a woman who drove 100 miles across three counties to get a McDonald's burger.
Another man was fined after travelling more than 110 miles from York to Leicester via [/news/birmingham/index.html Birmingham] to visit a friend, while a group of 47 boy racers were penalised after gathering for a car meet in Castle Donington, Leicestershire.
A man and woman were fined £200 each after travelling from Essex to Ashford, Kent to pick up a toy remote-controlled car, while three men from Wolverhampton and a man from Cornwall were fined £200 each in two separate incidents after trying to travel abroad at the Port of Dover without a valid reason and then tried to use the Channel Tunnel.
And a group attempting to travel to Switzerland for a ski holiday were stopped from boarding a Eurostar train at London St Pancras French border police in breach of coronavirus restrictions. 
The tougher approach to lockdown breaches comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel said a minority of the public are 'putting the health of the nation at risk' as they break rules aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus. 
She said that officers are now moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching Covid-19 regulations, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK since March. 
Here are some examples of Covid-related fines issued across England and Wales by police in recent days: 
LEICESTERSHIRE
Another man was fined after travelling over 110 miles from York to Leicester, via Birmingham, just to visit a friend
Body-cam footage shows an officer reprimanding the man
In Leicestershire, police released footage of officers dealing with 'shocking and ridiculous' examples of lockdown breaches after fining 142 people for breaking coronavirus regulations in just a single weekend.
Leicestershire Police said a total of £57,800 penalty notices were dished out across their force area between last Friday and Sunday.
They included a group of 37 boy racers who gathered for a car meet in Castle Donington, with many travelling from outside the county, as well as a house party of more than 30 people in Leicester city centre.
Another person had travelled over 110 miles from York to Leicester, via Birmingham, just to visit a friend.
Body-cam footage shows an officer telling him: 'That's a bit of a kick in the teeth really after the year we've had so I'm going to give you a ticket.

That's not reasonable is it? You've come way out.'
Police were also called to an address in Stretton where six men from different households claimed they were having a business meeting over beer and food.
A group of 37 boy racers were fined after gathering for a car meet in Castle Donington, Leicestershire
Three people caught in the same car together can be seen telling police they were 'just chilling' after work and pleaded: 'It's only been for five minutes.'
Another clip shows a motorist driving to a hotel to give his friend £10 just days after he received a fine for another Covid breach.
One officer revealed he has battled coronavirus as he shut down a party of ten people inside a Leicester house while the homeowner pleaded his innocence.
He can be heard saying: 'I still don't know anyone who's got it, don't know anyone that's died from it.'
One officer revealed he has battled coronavirus as he shut down a party of ten people inside a Leicester house
The officer tells him: 'I've had Covid, it's not very pleasant, believe me.

You don't seem to appreciate the severity of the situation our country is in, sir. Because of things like this, people are dying.'
Assistant Chief Constable Kerry Smith said: 'Over the weekend we dealt with a number incidents where people had no excuse for their behaviour.
Some of the reasons for being outside were ridiculous and this is what officers are having to deal with.
'We cannot be clearer about how this is the only way to stop the spread of the virus. Stay at home, protect the NHS. 'There really is no excuse this far into the pandemic for people to be taking these risks.'
Police confronted a homeowner who had a party in Leicester
A couple from Huddersfield were fined as they were stopped in their vehicle and stated they were visiting a cousin. A vehicle was stopped at McDonald's Wigston found to contain four males from different households.
A man was fined after police found he was still taking customers in his nail bar in Stockwell.

Two women who were waiting to have their nails done were also spoken to.
A man and woman from Bradford were fined after their vehicle was stopped in Leicester, with no reasonable excuse given.
A man from Coalville was also fined after he said he didn't believe in the pandemic and that it was fine that his brother came to visit him from Manchester.
And officers attended an address in Leicester where a birthday party of around 11 people from different households had taken place.

The household was fined.
In addition, a vehicle was stopped with two men inside, one of which had travelled from Coventry to spend the night with his cousin.
And officers attended Belgrave Gate after a group of 20 people were seen in several cars, hugging and dancing in the street on CCTV. 
WEST MIDLANDS
Police stopped two friends on the A46 who were travelling to Coventry in this Toyota Yaris to look at a second-hard car
In the West Midlands, police stopped two friends on the A46 who were travelling to Coventry to look at a second-hard car.
The pair from Buckinghamshire, who were from different households, were in a Toyota Yaris that was stopped near Leamington yesterday.

Both will now be facing a fine of £200 each.
Officers from Operational Patrol Unit Warwickshire wrote on Facebook: 'Yesterday afternoon we stopped this Toyota Yaris on the A46 northbound near Leamington Spa.
'The driver and passenger were friends who did not live together and had travelled up from Buckinghamshire to view a second hand car for sale in Coventry.
This is not an essential journey.
'Both driver and passenger reported for breaching Covid-19 lockdown rules and will be fined £200 each.'
NORTH YORKSHIRE
A woman drove from Lincolnshire for a McDonald's meal with her sister in Scarborough, North Yorkshire (file picture)
A woman was fined by police after she drove 100 miles across three counties to get a burger.
North Yorkshire Police issued a fixed penalty notice to the motorist, who is in her 30s, on Saturday after she drove from Lincolnshire for a McDonald's meal with her sister in Scarborough in breach of Covid-19 regulations.
Chief Inspector Rachel Wood of North Yorkshire Police said: 'Driving through three counties to get a burger is not classed as essential travel.
'Most people in North Yorkshire are trying really hard to stop the spread of Covid in our communities and protect the vulnerable.
'When this pandemic is over, we know everyone's looking forward to going where they want, when they want.'
WARWICKSHIRE
Pokemon Go is a computer game which involves tracking and swapping colourful monsters on a smartphone
In Warwickshire, a man was fined £200 after travelling 14 miles from his home in Bedworth to play the computer game Pokemon Go in Kenilworth.
Police said he was fined for 'contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside the place they live without a reasonable excuse'.
A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: 'Everyone has a part to play in ensuring they slow the spread of the virus.

We would like to remind people they must not leave or be outside their home unless they have a reasonable excuse.'
It comes after Essex Police clashed with a group of men, all aged over 30, who tried to argue that playing Pokemon Go, which involves tracking and swapping colourful monsters on a smartphone, was a form of exercise.
KENT
Thirty fines for breaching lockdown rules were issued by just one police force in the first weekend - including a woman who drove 60 miles to pick up a remote-controlled car.
Kent Police clocked up more than £7,500-worth of fixed penalty notices for breaches of the latest national lockdown restrictions, which came into force on January 5.
Over the weekend cops busted revellers at a house party caught hugging and kissing each other when they broke up a rave in Ramsgate.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox news floatRHS" data-version="2" id="mol-03e266e0-55db-11eb-8ffc-7f6227db830b" website RESCIND £60 penalty handed to couple visiting ill mother