[ 2021-02-10 ]

UK - Covid-19: 10-year jail term for travel lies defended
A maximum 10-year jail term for lying about recent
travel history has been defended by the
government.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the British
public "would expect pretty strong action" and the
maximum sentence reflects the seriousness of the
crime.

It was criticised by former Supreme Court judge
Lord Sumption who said lower tariffs exist for sex
offences.

From Monday, people arriving in England from "red
list" countries must isolate for 10 days in
hotels, costing £1,750.

It follows concerns that existing vaccines being
rolled out in the UK may struggle to control new
virus variants identified around the world.

Meanwhile, Mr Shapps said people should not be
booking holidays either in the UK or abroad, and
that it was "too soon" for sun-seekers to plan
getaways.

"People shouldn't be booking holidays right now -
not domestically or internationally," he told the
Today programme.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs
the public would need to "get used to the idea of
vaccinating and then re-vaccinating in the autumn"
due to new variants.

And, speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he
said the hotel quarantine plan was "measured" and
"proportionate".

Who has to self-isolate and for how long?
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travellers
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breaches

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Sumption
accused Health Secretary Matt Hancock - who
announced the latest measures - of losing his
connection with reality.

"Ten years is the maximum sentence for threats to
kill, non-fatal poisoning or indecent assault," he
wrote.

"Does Mr Hancock really think that non-disclosure
of a visit to Portugal is worse than the large
number of violent firearms offences or sexual
offences involving minors, for which the maximum
is seven years?"

Former Tory MP and ex-attorney general Dominic
Grieve said the 10-year penalty was "a mistake",
"exaggerated" and "entirely disproportionate".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The
reality is that nobody would get such a sentence
anyway, the courts are simply not going to impose
it.

"Now I recognise that the government has to put
down strict rules and needs to have penalties to
enforce them.

"But to suggest that a 10-year sentence is going
to result from a false declaration on a form on
landing at Heathrow Airport is, I think, a mistake
because it is exaggerated, it is not going to
happen."
'Lie and cheat'

Failing to quarantine in a designated hotel after
arriving from a "red list" country will carry a
fine of between £5,000 and £10,000.

The 10-year jail term would be the maximum penalty
for anyone found to have falsified their travel
history on the mandatory passenger locator form
filled in by travellers when they arrive in the
UK.

New border measures also require international
arrivals to pay for additional tests during their
quarantine period.

Asked about harsh penalties attached to the new
measures, Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast those who
are fined as much as £10,000 would have to "go
out of their way to lie and cheat" the new
system.

Mr Shapps said the 10-year maximum jail term
reflected the "serious" nature of the offence.

"I think the British public would expect pretty
strong action" for those who seek to evade hotel
quarantine, he said.

Around 1,300 people a week are arriving into the
UK from the 33 red list countries - including
Portugal, Brazil and South Africa - at the moment,
Mr Shapps said.

Source - BBC

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