An "arrogant" anti-vaxxer smashed the windows of at Covid vaccination sites in Wales in a bizarre attempt to stop people getting their jabs. Paul Leonard Edwards insisted he was "justified" to carry out the attack at the two sites claiming his actions were his "last chance" of making an impact in influencing people against the vaccines.
However, Edwards - who believes coronavirus is part of some Chinese plan to destabilise the West, failed to convince the jury and was found guilty by a jury. The 58-year-old then also failed to persuade a judge that he should walk out of his court a free man when he appeared for sentencing - and was sent straight to jail.
Judge Rhys Rowlands said Edwards had no right to "enforce his views" by breaking the law. He said: "What you cannot do is to deliberately go out and break the law in order to impose your views on others. In this case, to try and prevent other people - many of whom were likely to be elderly or otherwise vulnerable - from getting their injections. I have no doubt that those people would have anxious and would seen those injection appointments as a lifeline, enabling them to achieve a degree of normality in their lives. For you to try and prevent them was not just misguided but, dare I say, arrogant."
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A trial previously heard how the incidents happened over two nights in Llandudno and St Asaph over two nights in December. Edwards, of Warrington, Cheshire, had been staying with his father in North Wales at the time after being kicked out of his marital home.
At the Llandudno site, jurors were told that security guard Wendy McGee was working late at the coronavirus vaccination centre when Edwards struck on December 14, 2021. He sent glass "everywhere" when he hurled "at least half a dozen" rocks gathered from the local beach through the windows and door.
The court heard how flying shards caused cuts to Ms McGee's face as she frantically called for help. The overall experience of being confronted by Edwards - who was wearing a black T-shirt bearing an anti-vaccination message - left her shook up, the court was told.
Edwards, who chose to represent himself after telling the court that he no longer trusted his solicitor, made efforts to downgrade his sentence when he appeared at Mold Crown Court on Thursday, June 16. But Judge Rowlands said nothing short of prison can be justified for the defendant's actions.
And the judge went on to say that Edwards' "entirely unwarranted behaviour" in not allowing other people to reach their own decisions about the benefits of vaccination was "serious" and therefore must carry "serious consequences". Overall, he passed a prison sentence of 21 months for the two criminal damage charges.
After the sentencing, a joint statement was issued by the health board from chairman Mark Polin and chief executive Jo Whitehead saying said: “The actions of this individual caused a great deal of worry to our staff and could have seriously delayed a life-saving vaccine for many people. The steadfast and dedicated work of our vaccination teams meant were we able to continue with the programme of vaccinations, despite these senseless acts.
"We pay tribute to them for everything they did then, throughout the peaks of the pandemic and continue to do now. We thank North Wales Police for its prompt response on two occasions and helping to prevent any further disruption to our vaccination programme.
“We would also like to thank security staff and our hosts in both centres for helping us to carry on doing this vital work. Finally we would reiterate attacks on our staff, our premises or our partners, are wholly unacceptable and we will always seek the full protection of the law when such incidents occur.”
