Only an idiot disregards virus - Judge

District Judge Barney McElholm made the comment this week as he fined a 23-year-old man £1,500 for failing to comply with a Covid regulation notice.

The judge hit out at the ‘selfish sense of entitlement’ some people have in respect to the Covid restrictions.

“At one stage this district council area had the highest incident of Covid in the UK, in fact one of the highest in Europe, precisely because of this selfish sense of entitlement.

“People who won’t wear masks, people who won’t keep their distance and people insisting on having parties. That is how the thing is spreading,” he said.

Derry Magistrate’s Court heard on Wednesday that Shay Ward, of The Old Fort, failed to comply with the Covid regulation at his home on October 11.

Police called to his home in the early hours of the morning following a report of an ongoing party in breach of the restrictions. There were 15 people in the property at the time. They were removed and the regulations were explained to Ward.

Later on that day, police received further reports of breaches of Covid restrictions at the property and Ward was issued with the regulation notice.

He was charged with failing to comply with this notice after police visited his home for the third time in less than 24 hours and found other people present.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that people came to Ward’s house on the date in question and he had ‘difficulty removing them’.

Imposing the fine, District Judge McElholm said it would send a message to those who are ‘not prepared to behave responsibly, in a community minded way’.

“It is all very well for people to say they believe in libertarianism. You can be libertarian all you like in your grave. These restrictions are there for a reason and anyone who doesn’t take this virus seriously is an idiot.”