Young Wigan man walks free after Covid rules breach case collapses

A man accused of breaching Covid restrictions by attending a Wigan gathering when the pandemic was at its height has walked free from court after the case against him collapsed.
By Charles Graham
Published 30th Mar 2023, 12:30 BST
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Jack Blythman, 27, of Hall Lane in Wigan, had denied attending an outdoor gathering of two or more people in Montrose Avenue in Norley, on January 17 2021, when the area was under Tier Four government restrictions as decreed by the 2020 Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations.

But at the latest hearing at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court, the prosecution offered no evidence and the defendant was told he was free to go.