‘My wife’s been in tears for two weeks because she cannot watch people died any more’: Emotional police officer fines couple out planespotting during Covid lockdown

• Leicestershire officer issued couple with fine for travelling 13 miles to plane spot
• Urged them to follow the rules by opening up about his health care worker wife  
• Said she was crying ‘for two weeks because she can’t watch people die any more’

An emotional police officer, who fined a couple out planespotting during Covid lockdown, begged them to stay at home, telling them his health worker wife cries over watching people die. 

Bodycam footage showed the unnamed officer approach the couple during a routine patrol near East Midlands Airport on January 21.

While issuing the pair with a fine, he tells them his wife has been ‘in tears for two weeks because she honestly cannot watch people die any more.’

An unnamed police officer issued a couple with a fine for breaking Covid lockdown and travelling 13 miles to go plane spotting in January 

During the interaction, the couple admitted they had travelled 13 miles from West Bridgford to ‘watch planes’.

The officer asks them: ‘Did you see how many people died yesterday? 1,800.’

He continues: ‘Did you see how many people died today? Slightly less but still over 1,000. A lot of folk dying.

‘I know it seems punitive and I know it seems harsh. My point of view with this, you can take it however you want, I’m 34, my missus is 30 next week.

‘She’s a healthcare assistant at hospital and I’ve had her in tears for two weeks because she honestly cannot watch people die any more.

‘Trust me, I don’t like being this bloke that storms and dishes tickets out to people that have never been in trouble with the police before.

‘It gives me no joy whatsoever but people have got to stay safe.

‘The quicker this all disappears, the quicker we can all get back to normal and everyone can enjoy themselves again. Please go home, take care.’

While issuing the fine he revealed the heartbreaking experiences his wife, a health care worker, had gone through during the pandemic and said she was ‘in tears for two week because she can’t watch people die any more’

The couple had travelled 13 miles from West Bridgford to a spot near East Midlands Airport (pictured) despite Government guidance to stay at home

Worryingly, Leicestershire Police revealed they had handed out more fixed penalty notices in January than for the whole of last year.

Between January 1 and February 2, the force issued 889 fixed penalty notices – the equivalent to £170,000 in fines – to people who breached Covid rules compared to 850 last year.

Assistant Chief Constable Kerry Smith said: ‘We continue to say thank you to all of the public who are complying with the rules and understand why they are in place.

‘This is allowing us to continue to do other work tackling crime and getting some really good results.

‘The bottom line is that we have had to step up our enforcement as the message was not getting through to the small minority who are continuing to ignore the rules.

‘We also have to thank the public for helping us by reporting Covid breaches to us.

She noted the force received 2,480 calls relating to the pandemic in the last month, double the amount from before the current lockdown.  

‘We need the public’s information to guide us and we have been clear as to what the consequences are,’ she added.

‘We are continuing to engage with the public but we are being more proactive in giving out the tickets where possible.

‘We continue to share the public’s frustration that the small minority are still taking terrible risks.’

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