Local Beauty salon owner fined £12,000 for breaching Covid regulations

A Liverpool beauty salon owner has been fined £12,000 for breaching Covid regulations by facilitating a protest in the city centre.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Julie Saunderson, 43, from Formby, who owns the "Skin Kerr" beauty salon in Liverpool, on 21 November 2020 encouraged a crowd of up to 300 people protesting against the restrictions imposed by the Government to control the Coronavirus pandemic.

On 5 November 2020 the Government imposed new national restrictions on members of the public within England. These restrictions sparked anti-lockdown protests within the Merseyside area on 7th and 8th November and the further protest on 21 November. The holding and attendance at such protests were in breach of the new Government restrictions. 

Julie Saunderson had already come to the attention of the authorities because she had been operating her "Skin Kerr" salon during an earlier lockdown. Sefton Council had issued the premises with a closure notice. It had been allowed to reopen before the November lockdown.

She was then spotted by police officers who were monitoring the 21 November protest march, encouraging the crowd by shouting "this way" and gesticulating to members of the crowd to follow her.

She was eventually charged with 3 counts of contravening Covid lockdown legislation.

She pleaded not guilty but did not turn up for the start of the trial today (27 August 2021) at Liverpool Magistrates court.
The hearing continued in her absence, police body worn footage was shown of her facilitating the protest in the city centre and she was found guilty and fined £10,000 for her role in the protest and a further £2,000 for two other breaches. She was also ordered to pay £620 in costs and a £190 Victim Surcharge.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Lydia Durkin of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: "Julie Saunderson clearly did not think that the legislation brought in by the Government to control a pandemic applied to her.

"She claimed to think that the legislation was unnecessary but it is not the role of citizens to second guess what the law requires of them.

"It was clear that a national lockdown was in place on 21 November and people were required to stay at home for most of the day and certainly not to gather in any numbers outside of the home.

"Ms Saunderson ignored this, as she had earlier ignored calls to close her beauty salon.

"She has not participated in these legal proceedings but the court proceeded in her absence and she has now been given a substantial fine. The CPS hopes this sends out a strong message to people who try and circumvent laws that they see as inconvenient."