A young man who ignored Covid restrictions has appeared in court and seen his fine reduced. Mohamed Chakibe Azzouz was among 13 people who gathered on January 23, 2021, for a lockdown party in Splott, Cardiff.
Azzouz, now 22, had been ordered to pay £2,026 after police caught him at the illegal event in the Carlisle Bakery building on Splott Road. PC Andrew Nealon wrote in his report that he arrived at the address at 10.51pm to support three other officers dealing with the "large house party".
PC Nealon said there was a small annex to the rear of the main building, adding: "I entered the annex where I could see a group of people... There were bottles of alcohol, balloons and a clear sign that a party had been disrupted. After speaking to the people inside it was established that all 13 people were from different households. They admitted they were socialising and had no good reason to be there. I heard one male say, 'The night's over now, I just want to go.'"
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The officer described this male as "quite annoyed that we disturbed the party". The group, including Azzouz, were "fully aware" that Wales was in Coronavirus Alert Level 4 — meaning people had to stay home unless they had a reasonable excuse — and "knew they were breaking the law", the officer added.
PC Nealon told the group they would each be offered a chance to avoid conviction by paying a fixed penalty notice. But Azzouz did not make the payment and his case was taken to Cardiff Magistrates' Court in August 2021. In a single justice procedure hearing which he did not attend, he was found guilty of breaching Covid restrictions — landing a £1,760 fine, victim services surcharge of £176 and prosecution costs of £90.
Azzouz, now living in Garnet Place, West Drayton, claimed he had been convicted without knowing about the case. This led to a new hearing — and court papers from last month show Azzouz's original sentence was withdrawn. He pleaded guilty to the breach and received a fine of £250, victim services surcharge of £34 and prosecution costs of £90.
In his report shortly after the offence, PC Nealon wrote: "We are now 10 months into the pandemic and certain rules have been in place for many months. I have worked front-line during the emergency period and it is clear to me that some members of the public continue to breach the rules, while being fully aware they are doing so. In general people are following the guidance and legislation but the small minority are continuing to breach putting themselves and others at a huge risk."
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