Boy, 13, arrested for breaking new coronavirus lockdown laws in Leeds

A TEENAGE boy has been arrested for breaking the new coronavirus lockdown laws.

Ste Richardson, a senior section officer for West Yorkshire Police, approached the 13-year-old shortly after police were given new powers to enforce the lockdown.

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The officer, in Leeds, said the lad refused to give him details and he had "no choice" but to arrest him, .

Today in Cardiff, police were forced to break up a football match in the park as Brits flouted coronavirus lockdown rules.

On Thursday, police were handed new powers to fine Brits up to £1000 for breaking rules for being outside their homes for non-essential reasons.

Officers will aim to slow the spread of coronavirus by asking people to go indoors and will be authorised to use force if they refuse.

The base rate for the fine is £60, which is then reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.

Several of the same offences will see the charges soar, with Brits hit with a £960 fine for not doing their bit.

Those who keep disobeying can be arrested and locked up.

Cops will also be able to dish out fines and arrest you if you withhold personal information or why you are travelling.

In a now deleted tweet, Ste Richardson wrote: "Today I arrested a 13 year old male under the new coronavirus powers.

"The male refused to give me any details so I could take him home under the Act. He was arrested and taken to custody.

"His mother was dealt with for being a responsible person failing to comply."

The CPS has also said they would prosecute people who coughed on or at emergency service staff during the crisis.

Doing so against emergency workers would be punishable by up to a year in prison, while coughs directed as a threat towards other key workers or members of the public could be charged as common assault.

The new powers are part of a four step plan to engage, ask, fine and then force people to comply and keep the nation safe.

Under the plans, if an officer sees someone out of their home and believes they are breaching the lockdown, they start a “four-step plan”.

The officer will first ask the person why they are out, and then explain why the ban is needed.

Then they will encourage the person to return home, and even give them tips on the best route.

If they still won’t go, officers can then issue a fine or use “reasonable force” to make someone go home.

Despite the stay-at-home warnings, many Brits have been spotted filling parks and beaches across the UK.

In London, joggers and dog walkers crowded Battersea Park, while in Brighton Brits flocked to the seaside.

The day the new powers came in, police in the Peak District broke up eight pals who were caught flouting the government lockdown with a picnic of kebabs and shisha.

The group were forced to disperse after travelling to Snake Pass in Derbyshire from Manchester and Sheffield.

Police around the country are starting to crack down on people ignoring the coronavirus lockdown.

Police took drone footage of people taking selfies and walking their dogs miles from home in the Peak District - both activities are considered unnecessary at the current time.

Road checks were seen across the UK including in Devon, Harrogate and York, where officers quizzed drivers on their journeys and whether they were "essential".

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