Yob freed after Covid rules make him four minutes late in court
Father of six avoids jail on technicality
A FATHER of six accused of bringing misery to a block of flats escaped being jailed because a social- distancing rule meant police were four minutes late getting him before a judge.
Craig Eaves, 43, and the two officers accompanying him had to climb 22 flights of stairs instead of getting a lift to the top floor of Central London County Court because of a Covidsecure one- in one- out system.
It resulted in scaffolder Eaves, who was accused of breaching an antisocial behaviour injunction, being brought before Judge Alan Saggerson 24 hours and four minutes after he was arrested.
Plagued
Judge Saggerson’s hands were tied by a rule which states that those accused of breaching injunctions must be before a judge within 24 hours of arrest, so Eaves was freed.
He was accused of breaching an injunction, banning him from a Romford block of flats which has been plagued by disorderly behaviour in recent years.
But at the court, Covid rules are in place directing that only one person is allowed in a lift at a time, making an elevator journey impossible for two police officers with a prisoner.
The judge said: “The problem has been social distancing. I applaud everybody for having walked up 22 flights of stairs to get here,” he continued, adding that a ground floor court which would have been accessible with the prisoner had been unavailable.
He said Eaves would probably have been jailed had he arrived a few minutes earlier, but the fact he had only had his “lucky day by a matter of minutes” could be taken into account if arrested in future.
The court heard Eaves was subject to an injunction, banning him from the block due to concerns surrounding arguments, fights and drug use in a flat there.
He was arrested on Wednesday and hauled before the court on an application to have him committed to prison by the London and Quadrant Housing Trust.
“From what I have read, it seems quite clear from the evidence from the police officers that you were mooching about in this block of flats,” said the judge.
Eaves was allowed to go free without being asked to plead to the allegation.