Northampton man accused of wasting police time for lying about positive Covid-19 test

Police have arrested a 21-year-old man who forced three officers into quarantine by falsely claiming he had Covid-19.

The trio were ordered to stay away from work at the end of July after being involved in the arrest of the man in Northampton on suspicion of domestic related offences, including assault.

During the arrest, he claimed to have tested positive for Covid-19 — although police enquiries subsequently proved that he was lying.

Inspector Beth Curlett, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on policing, putting huge pressure on officers who are already busy, so this type of behaviour is the last thing we need.

“This incident caused significant disruption — not only to the workforce’s capabilities, but also to the officers who had their personal lives affected by the need to self-isolate for a period of time.

“These officers could also have been spending their time attending genuine emergencies or calls to service in the name of fighting crime and protecting the public in Northamptonshire.

“We make no apologies for cracking down on behaviour like this and we will continue to arrest anyone who wastes the precious time of the already stretched emergency services.”

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman confirmed the 21-year-old has been arrested again, this time on suspicion of wasting police time and breach of bail.