A bodybuilder accused of breaching coronavirus restrictions by keeping his south Liverpool gym open has been cleared.
Nathan De Asha was found not guilty of breaking coronavirus restrictions after a trial at Sefton Magistrates’ Court earlier this week. The trial focused on an alleged breach in November 9 2020, with Mr De Asha accused of opening his Prophecy Performance Centre gym on Speke’s Gaskell Road to the public.
Speaking after the trial, Mr De Asha’s solicitor, Lucinda Nicholls, told the ECHO he was found not guilty after a district judge ruled evidence presented to the court did not pass the evidentiary standard required to convict him of breaching restrictions. Ms Nicholls said Mr De Asha contested the alleged breach at the time and refused to pay a proposed fine.
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That fine has now been cancelled. Mr De Asha’s gym was also the focus of a separate raid in February last year.
That raid saw police go to the gym after members of the public reported breaches of coronavirus legislation, with officers saying Mr De Asha had falsely imprisoned dozens of people in the premises to avoid him being apprehended for a breach of lockdown restrictions. Mr De Asha said police “manhandled, mauled and abused” him after video footage he shared on social media appeared to show him being kicked in the stomach.
Speaking about that incident shortly afterwards, then Deputy Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: “At Merseyside Police, extensive training is given to officers around the importance of using force lawfully and proportionately, and thankfully, for the vast majority of interactions with the public, force is not required.
“The decision to use force is never taken lightly, and in cases where it is appropriate, officers must often make quick, split-second judgements where there is a risk of harm. During this incident, the use of force was judged necessary by officers in response to people’s behaviour."
