A MAN from Accrington has been ordered to pay almost £450 after pleading guilty to taking part in a gathering of two or more people last year during Covid-19 lockdown.

Ellesse Anders Schofield, 26, of Market Street, Church, admitted one count of participating in gathering of two or more people in private dwelling/indoors in tier 4 area.

Schofield didn’t appear at Preston Magistrates’ Court for his hearing on April 12, where the court heard that on February 14, 2021, he took part in a gathering in Belfield Road, Accrington, of two or more people.

This was in breach of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020; at the time England was in its third national lockdown since the Covid-19 pandemic began, following the outbreak of the Alpha variant of the virus which was first seen in Kent.

Schools, shops and stadiums were closed with people asked to stay at home to restrict spread of the virus and enable the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to be as successful as possible.

Following Schofield’s guilty plea, magistrates in Preston handed him a fine of £320 and ordered him to pay court costs of £90, and a surcharge to fund victim services of £34, for a total amount of £444.