A candidate in the upcoming Westminster elections has been jailed after refusing to pay a fine.
Dr Anne McCloskey, 67, appeared at Londonderry Magistrates' Court in connection with an unpaid Covid fine of £255.
She was given an immediate warrant to pay the amount or go to prison for 14 days.
Dr McCloskey, of Chapel Road in Derry, is running as an independent in Foyle in the UK general election.
...
Dr McCloskey accused court officials of "fraud" by entering a plea of not guilty for her in relation to the original offences.
The defendant went on to say she had been arrested on the foot of "a fake entity" - namely the Director of Public Prosecution who she said did "not exist in law or statute".
As the defendant continued to speak, Judge McElholm muted her microphone and said she was talking "nonsense".
He said he had never met the DPP personally but was pretty sure he existed.
The judge said he had given Dr McCloskey an opportunity but she had gone off on "a diatribe".
...
Dr McCloskey was fined for breaching Covid regulations while speaking at an anti-lockdown rally in November 2020 in Derry.
She had been suspended from practising as a GP for six months from 24 October 2023 over comments about the Covid-19 vaccination.
She had expressed concerns in a social media video about young people taking Covid jabs, in August 2021.
She lost an appeal against that decision in January 2024.
It's not often you get such high profile, sovereign citizen BS here in the UK.
The lockdowns were yet another example of Tory hypocrisy and the fines should not be being enforced.
Neither should she have lost her job for voicing concerns. Agree or disagree with those concerns, people should be able to speak out against things in their workplace without fear of retribution.
She didn't lose her job for voicing concerns, it was for spreading medically false statements and the suspension was handed out by an independent medical board, and upheld on appeal. It could be argued that it should have been revoked as she is clearly suffering from serious mental health issues that affect her ability to responsibly perform such an important role.