Northampton man lands £400 fine over lies to jump queue for Covid vaccinations

A man who lied to blag a Covid-19 vaccination a month before he was due has been fined £400 by Northampton magistrates.

Court documents showed Stefan Linnane, aged 51, booked a jab appointment in February last year claiming to be clinically extremely vulnerable and to work in health and social care — neither of which were true.

The vaccination rollout which began in December 2020 was limited to those most at risk of severe illness from the virus not extended to include those healthy and in their 50s until mid-March 2021.

Linnane, of Ryland Road, Moulton, pleaded guilty at a court hearing on Tuesday (March 29) to committing fraud by dishonestly making a false representation.

On top of the hefty fine, magistrates ordered him to pay a £40 surcharge to fund victim services and another £85 towards Crown Prosecution Service costs.