Covid: Woman defends filming inside Gloucester Royal Hospital in lockdown

Debbie Hicks filmed inside the hospital twice in December 2020

A woman acted like a "guerilla" journalist" when she filmed inside a hospital in a bid to show "disproportionate" lockdown measures, a court was told.

Debbie Hicks, 47, filmed at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester twice in December 2020.

Streamed on social media, Ms Hicks said they showed the hospital was quiet.

Ms Hicks, of Stroud, denies a charge of using threatening words or behaviour likely to cause harassment.

The charge relates to a confrontation with two NHS staff on her second visit to the hospital.

Prosecutor Richard Posner told Ms Hicks' trial at Cheltenham Magistrates Court sitting at a Nightingale court in Cirencester, she first went to the hospital on 27 December 2020 because she felt "lockdown restrictions were disproportionate".

"We've been put in Tier 3, for this? It's a disgrace," she could be heard saying. "I've seen less than 20 people."

On the second visit the following day, she was challenged by two staff in a stairwell after one of them recognised her from the first video.

"Ms Hicks' response was confrontational, derogatory and aggressive," Mr Posner told the hearing.

Ms Hicks could be heard saying in the first video: "It's a ghost town. I've never seen it so dead. Where are all the people dying from the second wave?

'Extreme pressure'

"This is the proof we've needed in Gloucester. This has made me feel so angry. This is the truth."

The court was also shown the second video, filmed the following day, in which Ms Hicks said: "If there are any patients in this hospital they will be in these wards. However it is very quiet. There is not much in the way of life anywhere."

Occupational therapist Katie Williams, who challenged Ms Hicks, told the court she had been working under extreme pressure for almost a year and had found the incident distressing.

"No-one in the NHS has time to deal with things like this," she said.

Sophie Brown, a senior physiotherapist, said when she asked Ms Hicks not to film, Ms Hicks said she paid her taxes "so I can do what I want".

Ms Brown wept when she was asked how this made her feel.

Hospital visitors were not allowed at the time of the filming in December 2020, the trial heard

Ms Hicks told the trial she was attempting to demonstrate to the public that government restrictions on movements to limit the spread of Covid-19 were disproportionate.

On the confrontation with the two staff, she said: "I didn't want to have the conversation, that's probably why I sounded standoff-ish."

Lawyer Merry Van Woodenburg, representing Ms Hicks, argued it was not an offence to film in a hospital as it fell under European Court of Human Rights legislation allowing freedom of expression when challenging government narratives.

Ms Woodenburg told the court Ms Hicks was acting as an investigative guerilla journalist because she was concerned the government and mainstream media were saying hospitals were full and believed it was not true.

District Judge Nicholas Wattam adjourned the case, saying he will announce his verdict on 19 January at Cheltenham Magistrates Court.

Ms Hicks was released on unconditional bail.

Correction Friday 7 January: We earlier incorrectly reported Debbie Hicks called herself a "guerilla" journalist", when this was actually stated by her lawyer during the court hearing.

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