A trio of YouTubers have been cleared of disrupting the work of NHS staff at a York covid-19 testing centre.
Marti Blagborough, 29, of Stonecliffe View, Leeds; Arthur Taylor, 61, of Wesley Street, South Elmsall, Wakefield; and Edward Warren, 60, of Deanfield Avenue, Morley, were cleared of aggravated trespass during a trial at York Magistrates' Court on Monday, 18th October 2021.
I have just been emailed the result by the court office, which confirms that the prosecution offered no evidence when the trial was called on. That being the case, the charges against all three were dismissed.
Aggravated trespass is an offence contrary to section 68(1) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. It has a maximum penalty of a level 4 fine (currently £2,500) and/or 3 months' custody on summary conviction.
We have previously written a guide to the offence of aggravated trespass, which readers might find of interest.
The charges related to an incident at Poppleton Bar Park and Ride on the outskirts of the city on Monday, 11th January 2021. The site was operating as a drive-through covid-19 testing facility.
The trio attended the site with cameras in an effort to obtain footage for their respective YouTube channels. The police were called when they became verbally abusive and refused to leave the facility.
Very helpfully for the prosecution, all three uploaded footage of the incident to YouTube.
However, in a glaring own goal, it would appear that the prosecution failed to download or exhibit the videos as evidence. It is also understood that key prosecution witnesses failed to attend for the trial.
No further comment necessary.
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