A mum was hit with a £2,000 fine for driving 160 miles when she should have been self-isolating after a Spanish holiday.
Penelope James from Derbyshire drove to her mother-in-law's in Norfolk during the two-week isolation period.
The 50-year-old mum has been made to fork out £2,021 – double the initial fine – after she refused to pay up, Derbyshire Live reported.
Miss James, who resides at Cromford Place in Fairfield, Buxton, saw her case reach the desk of a Derby magistrate due to failure to pay or indicate a plea, according to Wales Online.
The case was dealt within minutes behind closed doors in a process called the Single Justice Procedure, normally used for driving and TV licence fines.
A witness statement from PC Patrick Hale said the UK Border Force had called Derbyshire Police after being unable to contact her to ensure she was self-isolating.
PC Haley and PCSO Cook went to Miss James’ address in Cromford Place on August 11 and found nobody was home and returned later to check again.
This is when Miss James’ son, aged around 10, approached police and said he had been left at the home of a neighbour nearby.
The report says the neighbour called Miss James who said she and her partner “were just taking her mother-in-law to Norfolk or Norwich”.
PC Haley challenged this and said she was supposed to be self-isolating and would be issued with a ticket, to which Miss James responded “Do it, I won’t pay it”.
PC Haley writes: “I recall this clearly because I was shocked at the laissez-faire attitude towards this incident and the greater social consequences. There didn’t seem any intention to stick to the rules.”
A closed-doors hearing was held at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on March 18, but details of the case have just been released.
Miss James was made to pay a total of £2,021, of which £1,760 is the fine, £176 is a victim surcharge and £85 is court costs.
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